CISA Requires Remote Access Revolution by June 27th 2023

Yes, you read that correctly.  Some have been screaming from the rooftops about this problem for years as a crisis that needs immediate remediation.  

The Shift from Endpoint-Based Attacks to Network-Based Attacks Placement

Hackers, like most all humans, are lazy in that they look for the easiest way to accomplish their objective. Ransomware has been particularly easy and profitable as of late. But, one trend that has lurked just below the surface is the move away from endpoint based attacks to network based attacks.  

Targeting Network-Based Equipment

Many organizations have largely addressed endpoint vulnerabilities with EDR/MDR/XDR tools.   However, they have shifted to target network-based equipment that support the underlying network infrastructure. Threat actors have been able to gain unfettered access to organization’s networks allowing them to perform almost all of their critical functions in one convenient package: gain initial access, maintain persistence, deploy additional malware and software tools, move laterally, and exfiltrate data.  

Exposed Management Interfaces: A Glaring Issue - Directive from Jen Easterly and the CISA Team

One glaring issue, hidden in plain sight, is that almost all the management interfaces that allow the highest privileged functions are often exposed and accessible directly through a web browser on the Internet.  Jen Easterly and the team at CISA, in working with the NSA, FBI, and others, have issued a directive (effective June 13th 2023) that all federal civilian agencies by June 27th 2023 (14 days), either remove public facing management interfaces from the Internet (by using an isolated management network) or deploy zero trust capabilities that enforce access control (in alignment with OMB 22-09 and NIST 800-207).  WOW!

BlastShield: Meeting the Requirements for Critical Infrastructure Protection

BlastWave can help immediately as our commercially available product, BlastShield, can meet these requirements today for IT, OT and ICS environments.  It’s critical infrastructure protection out of the box. BlastShield can enforce access control by removing the need for public facing interfaces and protect them using zero trust remote access (as an SDP in compliance with NIST 800-207).  BlastShield supports this via built-in micro-segmentation, and zero trust policies which are enforced on a BlastShield software appliance gateway, which can run in VMs.  There are zero exposed TCP ports.  It’s an overlay, so the underlying infrastructure does not have to be ripped and replaced.  It can be deployed in minutes and is far superior to more expensive SASE solutions.  It’s simple, it’s fast, and much more secure.  

BlastWave's BlastShield offers immediate protection with zero trust remote access and micro-segmentation. Say goodbye to vulnerabilities and hello to enhanced security.

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