Gartner identifies cybersecurity mesh as a top security and risk-management trend in 2022 and claims it can cut the cost of security incidents by up to 90%. But there are still some ambiguities over what exactly cybersecurity mesh means and what cybersecurity mesh architecture looks like. Let’s decode the concept of cybersecurity mesh and explain the architecture.
Cybersecurity mesh is a modern conceptual approach to security architecture that enables the distributed enterprise to deploy and extend security where it’s most needed.
Gartner
As the enterprise technology landscape continues to evolve, traditional IT infrastructure is being replaced by a distributed and diverse network architecture. The popularity of cloud solutions and a shift to remote work means that resources and devices are often located off-premises of the network that traditional IT infrastructure focuses on. Furthermore, the adoption of technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), edge computing, virtual networks, and other digital transformation trends fragment the traditional network security perimeter making it more vulnerable to cyberattacks.
How Does Cybersecurity Mesh Work?
To secure the entire IT environment, many organizations continue to deploy a single defensive perimeter but no matter how secure the perimeter is, devices and resources outside the network are chinks in the armor that attackers can easily exploit. A holistic approach to cybersecurity which ensures that every device has its own defense perimeter is required, instead of relying on a centralized security perimeter.
When Gartner research predicts a perfect storm of more evolved and sophisticated cyberattacks in the near future, the following are the top factors that make enterprise security vulnerable.
- Traditional security perimeters are becoming irrelevant as devices, data, and staff are increasingly operating outside the central security perimeter. This means that malicious actors can target these distributed assets and gain access to the larger network to carry out cyberattacks.
- Security tools are poorly implemented and do not work in tandem making organizational security siloed. This leaves gaps in the system which can be exploited by cyber attackers who constantly probe for weak spots. Lack of interoperability between tools is a major concern.
- With more organizations migrating their data to multicloud environments, they no longer have the same control over security. Different cloud service providers may have their own security policies which may not be consistent with the organization’s established security policies.
Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture
Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture (CSMA) is a new approach that helps organizations handle cybersecurity challenges of the modern IT infrastructure with all its complexities. It proposes implementation of interoperable security tools which are supported by layers of cybersecurity mesh. This not only increases interoperability but also scalability and compatibility within the network infrastructure.
Four Foundational Layers of CSMA
Security Analytics and Intelligence
With a unified architecture, all data is collected and analyzed in real-time in a centralized location improving risk analysis. Data from past cybersecurity attacks can be especially helpful to analyze risk, reduce response time, and mitigate threats.
Decentralized Identity Fabric
This layer of CSMA provides decentralized identity management, adaptive access, directory services and identity proofing capabilities.
Consolidated Policy and Posture Management
This layer ensures that the configurations of independent security tools conform to the central cybersecurity policy to provide a unified and robust posture.
Consolidated Dashboards
Provides security teams complete visibility and control over the security ecosystem from a centralized location helping to detect security events with greater precision and respond quickly to mitigate them.
Summary
The alarming increase in the number of cyberattacks targeting all sorts of organizations implies that current and legacy security solutions and approaches adopted by most organizations may not be adequate. This sounds especially true when considering facts like migrations to multi-cloud ecosystems, IoT devices, edge computing and remote workers. Traditional security perimeters implemented by most organizations may not be as effective. CSMA approach seeks to supplant that with a holistic and robust approach to future-proof organization’s IT infrastructure from more evolved cyberattacks.
