Network Resource Segmentation for Automated Firewall Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The placement of firewalls in large networks is inefficiently managed by network administrators, leading to difficulties in implementing effective network security policies, especially in software-defined networking (SDN) environments where the control plane and forwarding plane are decoupled.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize the GCD (Greatest Common Divisor) and ⊕ operators to segment network resources based on security policies, ensuring that each node's policies refine those of its ancestors, and implement a Defense in Depth (DD) and Strict Defense in Depth (SDD) strategy to enhance network security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If network administrators manually place and configure firewalls in large networks, then security policies can be implemented, but the complexity and difficulty of implementation becomes extremely high
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automated firewall placement and configuration through algorithms that automatically determine optimal firewall positions and generate security policies based on network topology and security requirements, eliminating the need for manual administrator intervention in complex placement decisions
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of network topology, resource locations, and security requirements before firewall deployment, pre-calculating optimal placement configurations to simplify the actual implementation process and reduce on-site complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If the control plane and forwarding plane are decoupled in SDN environments, then network modifiability is enhanced, but firewall placement and policy enforcement becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary control mechanism that bridges the decoupled control plane and forwarding plane, enabling centralized firewall policy management and automatic distribution of security rules to appropriate network devices, thus maintaining ease of operation despite architectural separation
3Reliability
If security policies are strictly enforced at multiple layers (Defense in Depth), then network security is enhanced, but the number of firewalls and segmentation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically segments the network into security zones based on security requirements and topology analysis, creating a hierarchical structure that implements Defense in Depth principles while managing complexity through algorithmic zone definition rather than manual configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a universal firewall placement framework that can be applied across different network types and security requirements, using standardized algorithms and policy templates that reduce segmentation complexity while maintaining multi-layer security enforcement
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a system and method for determining an arrangement of network resources to provide network access security. The method including: assigning a weight to each network resource based on the associated security policy, where a greater weighting corresponds to a requirement for a greater level of security; segmenting the network resources into subsets if a operator acting on the network resource with other network resources in the subset has equal or more combined weight than the combined weight of the operator acting on the network resource with other network resources not in the subset; generating a network topology by adding subsets to nodes in the network graph in descending order by weight until one of the one or more access points is reached, where vertices between nodes are firewalled.