Network Security

1. Identity Aware Network Security Framework#

Asset & Trust Context

• Correlate IPAM, CMDB, NAC, and discovery records.
• Map ==ownership==, clinical function, and service dependencies.
• Profile endpoints; distinguish managed, guest, IoT, and OT.
• Record firmware, exposure, support status, and compensating controls.
• Treat ==identity confidence== separately from device classification.

Identity & Admission

• 802.1X / EAP-TLS → ==certificate-based admission==.
• ISE / ClearPass → contextual network access policies.
• MAB → identification fallback; requires restricted authorization.
• RADIUS → access decisions; TACACS+ → administrative authorization.
• Define ==failure behavior== for authentication service outages.

Segmentation & Policy

• VRFs / VNs → separate ==routing domains==.
• Firewalls / ACLs → enforce permitted interzone communication.
• TrustSec / group-based policy → identity-aware access enforcement.
• Define ==least privilege== by application dependency.
• Validate IPv4, IPv6, multicast, and shared-service paths.

Secure Access & Transport

• ZTNA → ==application-scoped access== using identity and context.
• VPN / IPsec / TLS → protect supported transport paths.
• MFA → strengthen remote and privileged authentication.
• SWG / protective DNS → control outbound destinations.
• Validate ==inspection coverage==, certificate trust, and bypass exceptions.

Infrastructure Protection

• Dedicated management paths → restrict ==administrative reachability==.
• PAM / jump hosts → broker privileged sessions.
• SSH / SNMPv3 / HTTPS → secure management protocols.
• CoPP / routing authentication → protect network control functions.
• DHCP snooping / DAI / RA Guard → applicable ==access-layer protections==.

Exposure & Change Assurance

• PSIRT / vulnerability feeds → identify ==affected assets==.
• Prioritize exploitability, exposure, and service criticality.
• Baseline configurations; detect unauthorized security changes.
• Test policy changes against ==required reachability==.
• Time-limit exceptions; document compensating controls and owners.

Detection & Investigation

• Centralize firewall, NAC, DNS, and authentication logs.
• IPFIX / NetFlow / NDR → reveal ==traffic behavior==.
• Correlate endpoint, identity, address, and timestamp.
• SIEM / detection rules → identify actionable patterns.
• Validate ==sensor coverage== across encrypted and asymmetric paths.

Response & Resilience

• Playbooks → authorized ==containment actions== and escalation.
• Quarantine endpoints; preserve essential clinical communication.
• SOAR / APIs → automate bounded, auditable responses.
• Test HA, configuration restoration, and emergency administrative access.
• Verify ==service recovery== before removing containment.

Central Visual

Identity-aware security architecture: Users and devices request access through policy enforcement points to segmented applications and services. Identity, asset context, and service dependencies inform decisions. Telemetry feeds detection and response; validated recovery feeds policy improvement.