Guide released by CISA to assist organizations in implementing zero-trust security strategies
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has recently published a new guide titled "Microsegmentation in Zero Trust, Part One: Introduction and Planning." This guide aims to help federal agencies and other organizations understand and implement microsegmentation, a key aspect of CISA's zero trust maturity model.
Microsegmentation involves dividing enterprise resources like databases, servers, and user devices into smaller, isolated groups. This approach reduces the attack surface, limits lateral movement of threats, and enhances visibility for better monitoring of the microsegmented environment.
According to the guide, resource pooling into smaller segments is a crucial step in implementing microsegmentation. This means grouping resources into logical or network-based microsegments to isolate workloads or functions, such as separating databases from web servers or user endpoints.
By tightly controlling interactions between segments, microsegmentation minimizes an attacker’s ability to move freely across the network after initial compromise. This reduces the risk of a breach spreading throughout the organization.
The guide also emphasizes the importance of phased implementation and leadership commitment. Successful adoption requires organizational leadership support and a staged migration from traditional perimeter models to microsegmented zero trust architectures.
CISA's guidance provides several implementation examples and other considerations to help organizations plan for an incremental implementation of microsegmentation. The guide is the first in a series aimed at helping federal agencies and other organizations understand zero trust cybersecurity concepts.
The Trump administration largely continued these efforts, and the Biden administration initiated a governmentwide push to a new cybersecurity architecture with a zero trust strategy in January 2022. Hartsook, a senior advisor at CISA, states that the aim of the more targeted guidance resources is to help organizations move beyond the question of "why aren't we done yet?" and focus on what's next in their zero trust implementation.
Hartsook mentions that the transition to microsegmentation can be a "tricky pivot" for many organizations, as it involves considering a larger number of attributes about the resources being protected and the way users access them. Adopting microsegmentation requires careful organizational level planning from the start to avoid unintended consequences for regular users.
CISA will follow up with a second guide that is more technically focused. The new guide explains the use of 'fine grained access controls' in the application of security policies across the network. This will help organizations further secure their networks and protect critical assets.
In summary, CISA views microsegmentation as a cornerstone practice within zero trust frameworks that both federal agencies and private organizations should implement by strategically segmenting resources, bolstering monitoring, and integrating this approach with comprehensive identity and access management controls to reduce cyber risk and improve network security posture.
Technology plays a vital role in the implementation of microsegmentation, as it allows for dividing enterprise resources into smaller, isolated groups. This approach, based on cybersecurity principles, reduces the attack surface, limits lateral movement of threats, and enhances visibility for better monitoring.
The guide issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) highlights the significance of phased implementation and leadership commitment in adopting microsegmentation. Successful adoption requires organizational leadership support and a staged migration from traditional perimeter models to microsegmented zero trust architectures.
