Cyber Defense eMagazine February Edition for 2023

This behavior makes it essential to have centralized key management solutions. Such solutions allow for
secure storage and backup of encryption keys, and defined access control policies. Encryption tasks can
be separated from key management tasks. Centralized key management solutions also provide key
lifecycle management- from creation, rotation, backup, and destruction. This is especially critical in edge
environments where keys are especially vulnerable to compromise.
Some cryptographic products offer hardware security modules as removable tokens, which can be ideal
in an edge scenario. Removing a detachable token keeps essential data safe, even in remote or
hazardous locations.
Access Control
Particularly at the edge, new threats and risks are exacerbated by changing operational requirements,
and demand a simple but scalable solution for authentication.
Multi-factor authentication is the most secure way to limit access to data and applications. At the edge,
however, it’s essential to deploy multi-factor authentication to secure access in multiple environments,
regardless of which devices are used and whether data is maintained locally, on-premises, or in the
cloud.
Protect mission-critical data in transit.
The demand on high-speed wide-area networks has been pushed with cloud migration of data, global
collaboration, and bandwidth requirements at the edge.
Huge amounts of data are traversing the network and consequently under constant threat. It is essential
to encrypt everywhere – both data in motion and at rest.
Data in transit is best protected by network encryptors which allow people, organizations and locations
to securely share information. Network encryptors protect data, video, voice, and metadata from
eavesdropping, surveillance, and overt and covert interception which is critical at the edge.
Vendor agnostic interoperability is critically important for these solutions, to make it easier on network
architecture and IT professionals. Also important is the flexibility to adapt to changing security and
network requirements.
Compliance
As environments move out to the edge, they become more susceptible to attack. Compliance with
security requirements is a critical part of minimizing vulnerability. The same enterprise-level security
policies must be used across the architecture, including the edge, to ensure compliance. Therefore, it’s
important to look for solutions that carry certifications from multiple organizations, including FIPS 140,
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