The approach aims to slow an attack’s progress and provide security personnel with sufficient time to detect and respond to threats. Defence in Depth encompasses a combination of physical, technical, and administrative controls, ranging from perimeter defences like firewalls to internal network segmentations, antivirus software, intrusion detection systems, and user training and policies.
By implementing security at various levels within the IT infrastructure, organisations can ensure redundancy in their defensive mechanisms, making it much more difficult for attackers to compromise a system entirely.
How may defence in depth be applied to an organisation?
Defence in-depth strategies can be utilised by your organisation to improve its cyber security. For example, companies may wish to use privileged access management solutions to secure access and monitor activity on privileged accounts. They can also deploy advanced endpoint privilege management solutions to prevent lateral movement and defend against malware. Other than that, by using an in-depth defence approach, businesses can enable adaptive multi-factor authentication to make hacking attempts even harder to execute successfully.
Key Characteristics:
- Layered Security: Employs multiple security controls and measures across an organisation’s systems and processes.
- Prevention and Response: Aims to prevent attacks and establish effective response mechanisms in the event of a security breach.
- Diverse Controls: Integrates various control types, including physical, technical, and administrative.
- Holistic Approach: Covers all aspects of security, from the perimeter to the endpoint, internal networks, data, applications, and people.
Examples:
- Real-World Example: A bank uses multiple security measures such as secure authentication, encrypted transactions, intrusion detection systems, strict access controls, and continuous monitoring to protect against cyber threats.
- Hypothetical Scenario: An organisation implements Defence in Depth by securing the IT infrastructure through network firewalls, segregating internal networks, enforcing strong password policies, and regularly updating and patching all systems.
Related Terms:
- Layered Security: Similar to Defence in Depth, it refers to using multiple, overlapping security measures to protect the integrity of information.
- Security Perimeter: The boundary where an entity’s network interfaces with the rest of the cyberspace, often fortified as part of the Defence in Depth strategy.
- Intrusion Detection System (IDS): A device or software application that monitors network or system activities for malicious activities or policy violations.
