CISO Series: Why a Flat Network Is an Open Door for Attackers

At Black Hat 2026, Nicholas DiCola, VP of Customers at Zero, and longtime Zero Networks customer Scott Ehrlich, CTO at wealth management firm BBR Partners, discussed how microsegmentation replaced a “Frankenstein” of RDP lockdowns and bolt-on MFA, ultimately delivering granular protection that adapts as the network changes – without adding manual effort or operational complexity. 

“The ultimate form of success was running the pen test. We’ve run two pen tests since we implemented Zero Networks, and each time it’s gotten better – we’ve never had any serious vulnerabilities, no high vulnerabilities, and with each pen test, there was part of the report that said, ‘you have something in your network that is making it very difficult to move laterally.’” 
-    Scott Ehrlich, CTO, BBR Partners