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SDP Network

 

 

SDP Network

In today’s interconnected world, where threats to data security are becoming increasingly sophisticated, businesses are constantly searching for ways to protect their sensitive information. Traditional network security measures are no longer sufficient in safeguarding against cyber attacks. Enter the Software Defined Perimeter (SDP), a revolutionary approach to network security that offers enhanced protection and control. In this blog post, we will delve into the concept of SDP and explore its various benefits.

Software Defined Perimeter, also known as a Zero Trust Network, is an architecture that focuses on secure access to resources based on the user’s identity and device. It moves away from the traditional method of relying on a static perimeter defense and instead adopts a dynamic approach that adapts to the ever-changing threat landscape.

 

Highlights: SDP Network

  • Creating a Zero Trust Environment

Software-Defined Perimeter is a security framework that shifts the focus from traditional perimeter-based network security to a more dynamic and user-centric approach. Instead of relying on a fixed network boundary, SDP creates a “Zero Trust” environment, where users and devices are authenticated and authorized individually before accessing network resources. This approach ensures that only trusted entities gain access to sensitive data, regardless of their location or network connection.

  • Zero trust framework

The zero-trust framework for networking and security is here for a good reason. There are various bad actors: ranging from the opportunistic and targeted to state-level, and all are well prepared to find ways to penetrate a hybrid network. As a result, there is now a compelling reason to implement the zero-trust model for networking and security.

SDP network brings SDP security, also known as software defined perimeter, which is heavily promoted as a replacement for the virtual private network (VPN) and, in some cases, firewalls for ease of use and end-user experience.

  • Dynamic tunnel of 1

It also provides a solid SDP security framework utilizing a dynamic tunnel of 1 per app per user. This offers security at the segmentation of a micro level, providing a secure enclave for entities requesting network resources. These are micro-perimeters and zero trust networks that can be hardened with technology such as SSL security and single packet authorization.

 

For pre-information, you may find the following useful:

  1. Remote Browser Isolation
  2. Zero Trust Network

 



SDN Network.

Key SDP Network Discussion points:


  • The role of SDP security. Authentication and Authorization.

  • SDP and the use of Certificates.

  • SDP and Private Key storage.

  • Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

  • A final note on Certificates.

 

Back to basics with an SDP network

A software-defined perimeter is a security approach that controls resource access and forms a virtual boundary around networked resources. Think of an SDP network as a 1-to-1 mapping. Unlike a VLAN that can have many hosts within, all of which could be of different security levels.

Also, with an SDP network, we create a security perimeter via software versus hardware; an SDP can hide an organization’s infrastructure from outsiders, regardless of location. Now we have a security architecture that is location agnostic. As a result, employing SDP architectures will decrease the attack surface and mitigate internal and external network bad actors. The SDP framework is based on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) need-to-know model from 2007.

 

Benefits of Software-Defined Perimeter:

1. Enhanced Security: SDP provides an additional layer of security by ensuring that only authenticated and authorized users can access the network. By implementing granular access controls, SDP reduces the attack surface and minimizes the risk of unauthorized access, making it significantly harder for cybercriminals to breach the system.

2. Improved Flexibility: Traditional network architectures often struggle to accommodate the increasing number of devices and the demand for remote access. SDP enables businesses to scale their network infrastructure effortlessly, allowing seamless connectivity for employees, partners, and customers, regardless of location. This flexibility is particularly valuable in today’s remote work environment.

3. Simplified Network Management: SDP simplifies network management by centralizing access control policies. This centralized approach reduces complexity and streamlines granting and revoking access privileges. Additionally, SDP eliminates the need for VPNs and complex firewall rules, making network management more efficient and cost-effective.

4. Mitigated DDoS Attacks: Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks can cripple an organization’s network infrastructure, leading to significant downtime and financial losses. SDP mitigates the impact of DDoS attacks by dynamically rerouting traffic and preventing the attack from overwhelming the network. This proactive defense mechanism ensures that network resources remain available and accessible to legitimate users.

5. Compliance and Regulatory Requirements: Many industries are bound by strict regulatory requirements, such as healthcare (HIPAA) or finance (PCI-DSS). SDP helps organizations meet these requirements by providing a secure framework that ensures data privacy and protection. Implementing SDP can significantly simplify the compliance process and reduce the risk of non-compliance penalties.

 

Feature 1: Dynamic Access Control

One of the primary features of SDP is its ability to dynamically control access to network resources. Unlike traditional perimeter-based security models, which grant access based on static rules or IP addresses, SDP employs a more granular approach. It leverages context-awareness and user identity to dynamically allocate access rights, ensuring that only authorized users can access specific resources. This feature eliminates the risk of unauthorized access, making SDP an ideal solution for securing sensitive data and critical infrastructure.

Feature 2: Zero Trust Architecture

SDP embraces the concept of Zero Trust, a security paradigm that assumes no user or device can be trusted by default, regardless of their location within the network. With SDP, every request to access network resources is subject to authentication and authorization, regardless of whether the user is inside or outside the corporate network. By adopting a Zero Trust architecture, SDP eliminates the concept of a network perimeter and provides a more robust defense against both internal and external threats.

Feature 3: Application Layer Protection

Traditional security solutions often focus on securing the network perimeter, leaving application layers vulnerable to targeted attacks. SDP addresses this limitation by incorporating application layer protection as a core feature. By creating micro-segmented access controls at the application level, SDP ensures that only authenticated and authorized users can interact with specific applications or services. This approach significantly reduces the attack surface and enhances the overall security posture.

Feature 4: Scalability and Flexibility

SDP offers scalability and flexibility to accommodate the dynamic nature of modern business environments. Whether an organization needs to provide secure access to a handful of users or thousands of employees, SDP can scale accordingly. Additionally, SDP seamlessly integrates with existing infrastructure, allowing businesses to leverage their current investments without the need for a complete overhaul. This adaptability makes SDP a cost-effective solution with a low barrier to entry.

 

SDP Security

Authentication and Authorization

So when it comes to creating an SDP network and SDP security, what are the ways to authenticate and authorize?

Well, firstly, trust is the main element within an SDP network. Therefore, mechanisms that can associate themselves with authentication and authorization to trust at a device, user, or application level are necessary for zero-trust environments.

When something presents itself to a zero-trust network, it must go through several SDP security stages before access is granted. Essentially the entire network is dark, meaning that resources drop all incoming traffic by default, providing an extremely secure posture. A more secure, robust, and dynamic network of geographically dispersed services and clients can be created based on this simple premise.

 

  • A key point: The difference between Authentication and Authorization.

Before we go any further, it’s essential to understand the difference between authentication and authorization. Upon examination of an end host in the zero-trust world, we have a device and a user forming an agent. The device and user authentication are carried out first before agent formation.

Authentication of the device will come first and second for the user. After these steps, authorization is performed against the agent. Authentication means confirming your identity, while authorization means granting access to the system.

 

The consensus among SDP network vendors

Generally, with most zero-trust and SDP VPN network vendors, the agent is only formed once valid device and user authentication have been carried out. And the authentication methods used to validate the device and user can be separate. A device that needs to identify itself to the network can be authenticated with X.509 certificates.

A user can be authenticated by other means, such as a setting from an LDAP server if the zero trust solution has that as an integration point. The authentication methods between the device and users don’t have to be tightly coupled, providing flexibility.

zero trust networks
Diagram: Zero trust networks. Some of the zero trust components are involved.

 

SDP Security with SDP Network: X.509 certificates

IP addresses are used for connectivity, not authentication, and don’t have any fields to implement authentication. The authentication must be handled higher up the stack. So we need to use something else to define identity, and that would be the use of certificates. X.509 certificates are a digital certificate standard that allows identity to be verified through a chain of trust and is commonly used to secure device authentication. X.509 certificates can carry a wealth of information within the standard fields that can fulfill the requirements to carry particular metadata.

To provide identity and bootstrap encrypted communications, X.509 certificates use two cryptographic keys, mathematically-related pairs consisting of public and private keys. The most common are RSA (Rivest–Shamir–Adleman) key pairs.

The private key is secret and held by the certificate’s owner, and the public key, as the names suggest, is not secret and distributed. The public key can encrypt the data that the private key can decrypt and vice versa. If the correct private key is not held, it is impossible to decrypt encrypted data using the public key.

 

SDP Security with SDP Network: Private key storage

Before we start discussing the public key, let us examine how we secure the private key. If bad actors get their hands on the private key, it lights out for device authentication.

Once the device presents a signed certificate, one way to secure the private key would be to configure some access rights to the key. However, if a compromise occurs, we are left in the undesirable world of elevated access, exposing the unprotected key.

The best way to secure and store private device keys is to use crypto processors such as a trusted platform module (TPM). The cryptoprocessor is essentially a chip that is embedded in the device.

The private keys are bound to the hardware without being exposed to the system’s operating system, which is far more vulnerable to compromise than the actual hardware. TPM binds the private software key to the hard creating a very robust device authentication.

 

SDP Security with SDP Network: Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

How do we ensure that we have the correct public key? This is the role of the public key infrastructure (PKI). There are many types of PKI, with certificate authorities (CA) being the most popular. In cryptography, a certificate authority is an entity that issues digital certificates.

A certificate can be a pointless blank paper unless it is somehow trusted. This is done by digitally signing the certificate to endorse the validity. It is the responsibility of the certificate authorities to ensure all details of the certificate are correct before signing it. PKI is a framework that defines a set of roles and responsibilities used to distribute and validate public keys in an untrusted network securely.

For this, a PKI leverages a registration authority (RA). You may wonder what the difference between an RA and a CA is. The RA interacts with the subscribers to provide CA services. The RA is subsumed by the CA, which takes total responsibility for all actions of the RA.

The registration authority accepts requests for digital certificates and authenticates the entity making the request. This binds the identity to the public key embedded in the certificate, cryptographically signed by the trusted 3rd party.

 

Not all certificate authorities are secure!

However, all certificate authorities are not bulletproof from attack. Back in 2011, DigiNotar was at the mercy of a security breach. The bad actor took complete control of all eight certificate-issuing servers in which they issued rogue certificates that had not yet been identified. It is estimated that over 300,000 users had their private data exposed by rogue certificates.

Browsers immediately blacklist DigiNotar’s certificates, but it does highlight the issues of using a 3rd party. While Public Key Infrastructure is used at large on the public internet backing X.509 certificates, it’s not recommended for zero trust SDP. At the end of the day, when you think about it, you are still using 3rd party for a pretty important task. It would be best if you were looking to implement a private PKI system for a zero-trust approach to networking and security.

You could also implement a temporary one-time password (TOTP) if you are not looking for a fully automated process. This allows for human control over the signing of the certificates. Remember that much trust must be placed in whoever is responsible for this step.

 

Conclusion:

As businesses continue to face increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, the importance of implementing robust network security measures cannot be overstated. Software Defined Perimeter offers a comprehensive solution that addresses the limitations of traditional network architectures.

By adopting SDP, organizations can enhance their security posture, improve network flexibility, simplify management, mitigate DDoS attacks, and meet regulatory requirements. Embracing this innovative approach to network security can safeguard sensitive data and provide peace of mind in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Organizations must adopt innovative security solutions as cyber threats evolve to protect their valuable assets. Software-Defined Perimeter offers a dynamic and user-centric approach to network security, providing enhanced protection against unauthorized access and data breaches.

With enhanced security, granular access control, simplified network architecture, scalability, and regulatory compliance, SDP is gaining traction as a trusted security framework in today’s complex cybersecurity landscape. Embracing SDP can help organizations stay one step ahead of the ever-evolving threat landscape and safeguard their critical data and resources.

 

sdp security

Matt Conran
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