Towards Zero Trust Network Security via Programmable Data Planes

Traditional enterprise networks rely on security perimeters for defense. These perimeters follow a ''castle-and-moat'' approach, where secure boundaries are established both at the edge of the network and around critical points within the network. However, such an approach assumes implicit trust for all assets within the boundaries. This lack of fine-grained access control enables modern attacks, such as Advanced Persistent Threat (APT), to exploit vulnerabilities in these boundaries and progress toward critical targets within the network, leading to significant financial losses [3].