In a recent interview with Tom Uren on the Risky Business News podcast, our CEO and Co-Founder, Benny Lakunishok, explored one of cybersecurity’s most promising but often misunderstood tools: network microsegmentation. This technique is essential to zero-trust architecture, yet it’s frequently seen as a complex and labor-intensive process.
During our conversation, Benny discussed what makes microsegmentation so crucial and how advances in technology are transforming its accessibility. You can listen to the full episode here.
Rethinking Network Security’s Approach to Microsegmentation
Tom: “So today with Benny we thought we'd talk about what the NSA has gotten wrong. It's not often that I talk about what NSA has got wrong... but they've issued a report, and they've basically placed microsegmentation at the end of a very long road on a journey to zero trust. And your take is that that's wrong.”
Benny: “Yes.”
Tom: “To me the way the report laid it out made a lot of sense. It says map your data flows. Okay, yep, that makes sense. You want to understand what's going on. Then roughly segment when you've got a rough idea. And then as you get a better idea you get smaller and smaller. But you're saying, no, you don't need to do all that. Perhaps we should start with like, what's the point? I've got this vague idea that segmentation is good because it protects your network from bad stuff. But I'm sure you can tell me more.”
Benny: “Yeah, I mean the holy grail of how to change your security posture so that attackers essentially cannot do much, if (anything), is to isolate every machine completely, and put a default inbound block in front of every machine - as if you put a checkpoint in front of every individual machine in your environment.”
Traditionally, the process has required intensive mapping of data flows and incremental segmentation over time. The NSA suggests beginning with broad segmentation and refining it as organizations understand their network. However, the reality is that attackers exploit gaps in this process. A network without proper segmentation is more vulnerable to attacks like ransomware, where one compromised machine can lead to widespread consequences.
Lateral Movement Prevention is More Important Than Ever
Ransomware attacks have become increasingly frequent in recent years, making microsegmentation a critical defense strategy. Today, attackers often exploit open networks to move laterally, allowing a single breach to impact an entire organization. By limiting lateral movement, microsegmentation can reduce attackers’ options, making ransomware less profitable and limiting the scope of potential damage.
Benny: “If you don’t have lateral movement, if attackers cannot spread between machines, then the ransomware route is not interesting to them.”
Preventing lateral movement doesn’t just protect data; it also helps ensure business continuity. Organizations without lateral movement controls risk having entire systems frozen by a single ransomware attack, impacting productivity and, often, public perception.
Automation is Changing the Game in Microsegmentation
Historically, network segmentationdemanded substantial oversight and manual input, often involving specialized services and consistent upkeep. But recent advancements have made microsegmentation not only possible, but practical through automation.
Benny: “The technology has advanced in a way that it's actually much easier to do. You don't need to do their steps, as you stated in your first question, that ‘let's first understand the data flows’ and then do rough segmentation.”
This shift doesn’t just alter how segmentation is implemented—it redefines its role within a security roadmap. Automated microsegmentation means organizations can skip the manual groundwork and go straight to a secure, segmented state from day one.
Benny: “It’s the holy grail. If you do it, you change the ballgame to the attacker. It's like orders of magnitude. And not one order of magnitude – it's two, three orders of magnitude more difficult to do anything.”
Shaping the Future of Cybersecurity through Microsegmentation
Cyber threats become more sophisticated by the day, and microsegmentation offers a proactive approach that prevents attacks by design rather than merely responding to them.
Benny: “Let's say there is a universe that this is done in a click, that you click, learn, and it's segmented without doing anything. Let's assume that such vendors exist. If you do that, why not do that first? Because if you do that first, you don’t care about rough segmentation. You don’t care about many, many things. Everything is now isolated. You may want to tighten a few things up here and there, but, you know, you get from a very big open network to a super tight network that you can tighten a bit if you want later on.”
Making segmentation easily integrated means shifting it from a “nice to have” last step to a foundational first line of defense. When organizations can embrace segmentation without a huge resource drain, it fundamentally raises the bar for attackers.
Zero Networks’ Approach to Zero Trust Through Automated Microsegmentation
Microsegmentation has long been complex, but it doesn’t have to be. Zero Networks brings a new approach to securing networks against ransomware and lateral movement attacks, using plug-and-play microsegmentation that implements in just 30 days. With automated rules and maintenance-free segmentation, our platform makes zero trust achievable for any organization. Plus, explore how Identity Segmentation and Secure Remote Access can simplify compliance and fortify your defenses without the operational strain.
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