One of the most critical challenges for security, IT, and network infrastructure teams is preventing lateral movement – the technique attackers use to traverse networks and spread their impact. This blog post explores how network segmentation and microsegmentation provide a powerful solution to east-west attacks, offering actionable insights for IT and security leaders in the healthcare, manufacturing, and energy sectors. 

The Need for Network Segmentation  in Combating Lateral Movement and East-West Attacks 

Cyberattacks such as ransomware, malware, and identity-based attacks have become increasingly sophisticated, often utilizing lateral movement tactics to maximize their impact. These east-west attacks allow threat actors to: 

• Spread malware, ransomware or move rapidly across networks 

• Escalate privileges 

• Access sensitive data and critical systems 

• Increase the overall "blast radius" of the attack 

Traditional security measures like firewalls and antivirus software, while still important, are often insufficient to prevent lateral movement once an attacker gains a foothold in the network. This is where microsegmentation comes in, offering a more granular and effective approach to network security. 

Understanding East-West Attacks and Lateral Movement Techniques 

Lateral movement, also known as east-west traffic, refers to the techniques attackers use to move between different systems within a network after gaining initial access. Here's how these east-west attacks typically unfold: 

1. Initial Compromise: An attacker gains access to a single endpoint or server, often through phishing, exploiting a vulnerability, or using stolen credentials. 
2. Reconnaissance: The attacker explores the network, identifying potential targets and valuable assets. 
3. Credential Harvesting: Using tools like keyloggers or exploiting vulnerabilities, attackers gather additional login information. 
4. Privilege Escalation: With harvested credentials, attackers gain higher levels of access. 
5. Lateral Movement: The attacker moves between systems, often using legitimate tools to avoid detection. 
6. Data Exfiltration or Payload Deployment: Once critical assets are accessed, data is stolen or malware (like ransomware) is deployed across the network. 

Recent Attacks Utilizing Lateral Movement and East-West Techniques 

Several high-profile attacks in recent years have demonstrated the devastating potential of lateral movement techniques: 

• SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack (2020): Attackers used a compromised software update to gain initial access, then moved laterally through networks of multiple government agencies and private organizations.  

• MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: T1195 (Supply Chain Compromise), T1078 (Valid Accounts), T1021 (Remote Services) 

• Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack (2021): Cybercriminals gained access through a compromised VPN account, then spread laterally to deploy ransomware across the network.  

• MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: T1133 (External Remote Services), T1210 (Exploitation of Remote Services), T1486 (Data Encrypted for Impact) 

• Kaseya VSA Attack (2021): Attackers exploited vulnerabilities in Kaseya's remote management software to deploy ransomware across multiple managed service providers and their clients.  

• MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application), T1072 (Software Deployment Tools), T1204 (User Execution) 

Limitations of Traditional Security Approaches in Preventing Lateral Movement 

While traditional security measures remain important, they often fall short in preventing lateral movement and east-west attacks: 

• Access Control Lists (ACLs): While useful for basic network segmentation, ACLs lack the granularity and flexibility needed to adapt to dynamic environments. 

• VLANs: Traditional VLAN segmentation is often too coarse-grained and can be complex to manage in large, dynamic networks. 

• Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs): While effective for north-south traffic, NGFWs struggle to monitor and control the vast amount of east-west traffic in modern networks. 

• Antivirus and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): These tools are crucial but may not catch all lateral movement, especially when attackers use legitimate tools and credentials. 

The limitations of these approaches stem from: 

• Lack of visibility into east-west traffic 

• Inability to adapt quickly to changing network conditions 

• Difficulty in managing complex, large-scale environments 

• Challenges in implementing least-privilege access at a granular level 

How Microsegmentation Prevents Lateral Movement and East-West Attacks 

Microsegmentation addresses these limitations by providing a more granular and flexible approach to network security: 

1. Fine-grained Control: Newer identity-based microsegmentation platforms enable organizations to create security policies at the individual user, workload or device level, significantly reducing the attack surface. 
2. Identity-based Policies: Modern microsegmentation solutions use identity and context rather than just IP addresses, enabling more precise and adaptive security controls. 
3. Discovery: Today’s microsegmentation platforms are deeply integrated with existing stack and ingest network flow data and metadata from attack surface metadata platforms like Claroty and Armis. 
4. Visibility: Microsegmentation platforms provide deep visibility into east-west traffic, helping organizations understand normal behavior and detect anomalies. 
5. Adaptive Policies: Policies can be dynamically updated based on real-time threat intelligence and changing network conditions. 
6. Scalability: Cloud-based microsegmentation policy management and network infrastructure-based policy enforcement solutions can scale to protect even the largest and most complex environments. 
7. Integration: Advanced platforms integrate with existing security tools, enhancing overall security posture, risk and vulnerability scores, and insights to streamline operations and build dynamic security policies. 

By implementing microsegmentation, organizations can: 

• Contain breaches by limiting an attacker's ability to move laterally 

• Reduce the attack surface by enforcing least-privilege access for all users, workloads and devices 

• Improve visibility and control over east-west traffic 

• Enhance compliance with regulatory requirements 

Compliance and Regulatory Requirements for Microsegmentation 

Many global compliance standards and industry regulations now require or strongly recommend network segmentation, with microsegmentation often being the most effective way to meet these requirements: 

• PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard): Requires segmentation of cardholder data environments from other network segments. 

• HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): While not explicitly required, network segmentation is considered a best practice for protecting electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI). 

• NIST Cybersecurity Framework: Recommends network segmentation as part of the "Protect" function to limit the spread of potential attacks. 

• IEC 62443 (Industrial Automation and Control Systems Security): Emphasizes the importance of network segmentation in protecting industrial control systems. 

• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): While not explicitly required, microsegmentation can help organizations comply with GDPR's data protection and access control requirements. 

Implementing microsegmentation helps organizations not only improve their security posture but also demonstrate compliance with these critical regulations. 

Roles and Responsibilities in Microsegmentation Projects 

Successful implementation and management of microsegmentation requires collaboration across multiple teams: 

CISOs and IT Leaders: 

• Define overall security strategy and objectives 

• Secure budget and resources for microsegmentation initiatives 

• Align microsegmentation efforts with broader business goals 

Security Architects: 

• Design the microsegmentation architecture 

• Define security policies and access controls 

• Ensure integration with existing security infrastructure 

Network Architects: 

• Assess current network architecture and identify segmentation requirements 

• Plan network changes to support microsegmentation 

• Ensure performance and scalability of the segmented network 

Security Operations Center (SOC) Teams: 

• Monitor microsegmentation policies and alerts 

• Respond to potential security incidents 

• Continuously refine and update segmentation policies based on threat intelligence 

OT/IoT/IoMT Leaders: 

• Identify critical assets and communication patterns in operational technology environments 

• Collaborate with IT teams to ensure appropriate segmentation of OT/IoT/IoMT devices 

• Ensure microsegmentation doesn't disrupt critical operations 

IT Operations: 

• Implement and maintain microsegmentation infrastructure 

• Manage day-to-day operations of the segmented network 

• For platforms that require downtime (not all do) coordinate with security teams on policy updates and changes 

Compliance Officers: 

• Ensure microsegmentation policies align with regulatory requirements 

• Document segmentation efforts for audits and compliance reporting 

Cross-functional collaboration and clear communication between these teams are crucial for the success of microsegmentation initiatives. 

Benefits of Modern Microsegmentation Platforms in Preventing Lateral Movement 

Today's advanced microsegmentation solutions offer several key benefits: 

1. Zero Trust Implementation: Microsegmentation is a cornerstone of Zero Trust architectures, enforcing the principle of "never trust, always verify" at a granular level. 
2. Least-Privilege Access: By defining precise, identity-based policies, microsegmentation ensures users and systems have only the access they need. 
3. Visibility and Analytics: Modern platforms provide deep insights into network traffic and behavior, enhancing threat detection and response capabilities. 
4. Automation and Orchestration: Advanced solutions use AI and machine learning to automate policy creation and adaptation, reducing management overhead. 
5. On-premises and Hybrid Environment Support: Leading platforms can secure workloads across on-premises, and hybrid environments.
6.  Simplified Compliance: Built-in reporting and policy templates help organizations meet and demonstrate compliance with various regulations. 
7. Reduced Attack Surface: By limiting lateral movement, microsegmentation significantly reduces the potential impact of breaches. 

Looking Forward: Continuous Improvement in Microsegmentation and East-West Attack Prevention 

As technology evolves, we can expect further advancements in microsegmentation some of which are highlighted in the Forrester Wave™: Microsegmentation Solutions, Q3 2024: 

People: 

• Increased focus on cross-functional training and collaboration 

• Development of specialized roles for microsegmentation policy automation  

• Emphasis on continuous learning to keep pace with evolving threats and technologies 

Process: 

• Greater integration of microsegmentation into ITSM and DevSecOps practices 

• For the platforms that use it, drive deeper adoption of AI-driven policy optimization and risk assessment 

• Enhanced automation of incident response and policy enforcement 

Technology: 

• Increased use of machine learning for anomaly detection and policy refinement 

• Enhanced support for securing IoT, OT, and IoMT environments 

• Improved visualization and management interfaces for complex environments 

These advancements will further enhance the ability of organizations to protect against sophisticated lateral movement attacks and maintain robust security postures in increasingly complex digital environments. 

Network Segmentation and Microsegmentation are the Ultimate Defense Against Lateral Movement 

As Forrester Research recently stated in the Forrester Wave™: Microsegmentation Solutions, Q3 2024 “ “We're Living In The Golden Age Of Microsegmentation”  stands out as a crucial strategy for preventing lateral movement and minimizing the impact of east-west attacks. By implementing modern microsegmentation solutions, organizations in healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and other critical sectors can significantly enhance their security posture, ensure compliance with regulations, and protect their most valuable assets. 

As you consider how to strengthen your organization's defenses against lateral movement attacks, remember that the journey to effective microsegmentation is not just about technology – it requires a holistic approach involving people, processes, and cutting-edge solutions. 

To learn more about how the Elisity platform can help protect your organization from lateral movement and east-west attacks while enhancing your overall security posture, contact us for a conversation or a personalized demo.