{"id":10116,"date":"2026-10-21T15:25:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T15:25:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/?p=10116"},"modified":"2026-10-21T15:25:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T15:25:37","slug":"how-fidelis-network-supports-zero-trust-network-security-for-the-department-of-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/?p=10116","title":{"rendered":"How Fidelis Network Supports Zero Trust Network Security for the Department of Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"elementor elementor-49199\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6f2cd6e5 e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\">\n<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-34097582 ha-has-bg-overlay elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6bf7c2ca elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Zero trust network security assumes that network location or previous authentication needs to prove its trustworthiness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Segmentation is only as good as the traffic evidence behind it, and protecting mission data means watching where that data goes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Deep Session Inspection and retrospective analysis give investigators more to work with than connection logs do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Zero Trust network security is best measured by what happens when trust is abused.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Fidelis Network gives defense SOCs a way to detect suspicious communications and attacker behavior even when access looks authorized.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ec8dd4b e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\">\n<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-39353bc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>The Department of Defense can verify every login, enforce strict access policy, and segment its networks, and still have no good answer to a simple question:<\/p>\n<p>What happens when an adversary starts operating through an account or connection the system already trusts?<\/p>\n<p>A September 2026 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report<a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/#citeref1\">[1]<\/a> found that 6 of the 18 major DoD IT business programs it reviewed had not developed plans to implement Zero Trust architecture by the 2027 deadline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f8f80aa elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Much of that work falls under the following categories:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-376c3b7 elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Policy deployment<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Stronger authentication<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Tighter access rules<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Finer segmentation<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-752d1e3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>However, these controls decide who gets in and which paths are open in the network. They say nothing about whether the policies match how the network actually behaves, or what a trusted identity does after the door opens.<\/p>\n<p>A serious <a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/use-case\/zero-trust-security\/\">zero trust<\/a> approach to network security has to answer three things.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cc9927e elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Do the policies hold up against real traffic?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Is legitimate access being misused?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Can suspicious behavior be investigated without disrupting critical operations?<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d85e4f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>All three are network questions, and the network\u00a0is where <a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/solutions\/network-detection-and-response-ndr\/\">Fidelis Network<\/a>\u00ae earns an evaluation. It is built to examine activities even after access has been granted, which is the stage most Zero Trust programs do not cover.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ec8beb3 e-con-full e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con e-child\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-947f3f0 e-con-full e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con e-child\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ac51023 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Trusting Your Zero Trust Architecture with Fidelis Security<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-419f2b11 elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Enterprise-wide visibility<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Transactional monitoring<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Zero Trust in Action<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b3e5241 elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/resource\/whitepaper\/zero-trust-architecture\/\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Read the Guide<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-57725950 e-con-full elementor-hidden-tablet elementor-hidden-mobile e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con e-child\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3de42aeb elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6f22a28 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What Zero Trust Network Security Means for the Department of Defense<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0560c9d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Zero trust network security drops the assumption that network location or a previous authentication is trustworthy. Access is granted according to:<\/p>\n<p>IdentityDevice posturePolicyResource sensitivity\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0d86181 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>It is calibrated again when the conditions change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c09244b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Of the pillars in the DoD\u2019s Zero Trust model, Network &amp; Environment and Visibility &amp; Analytics deserve the closest attention from network security leaders. Together they describe a requirement that goes beyond permission checks.<\/p>\n<p>Defenders need to see communications inside their environments, and they need enough evidence to recognize when behavior shifts. This is because the zero trust network security model is a decision framework, but a decision is only as reliable as the information behind it.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Fidelis Network supplies the missing information through:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d147a49 elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Continuous traffic inspection<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/use-case\/threat-detection\/\">Threat detection<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Investigation capabilities<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f70fa89 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>This helps security teams identify when apparently trusted activity deserves a closer look or a change in enforcement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6450671 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How Does Fidelis Network Help with Zero Trust Network Security?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-447c981 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Segmentation Starts with Knowing What Actually Communicates<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a9bf4b1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Implementing Zero Trust usually begins with a mapping problem. Before you can restrict communication between any two systems, you need to know the relationship between them. The systems that depend on each other should continue to communicate, but the ones that are not related their connection should not exist.<\/p>\n<p>In a large defense environment, those dependencies run across:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c88afe8 elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Administrative systems<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Operational infrastructure<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Mission-support applications<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Remote installations<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Approved hybrid environments<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c81565f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Segment too tightly and you break a service someone depends on. Segment too loosely and you leave adversaries room to move after a compromise. Most teams discover that the manually maintained inventory they planned around does not reflect what is really on the wire.<\/p>\n<p>The DoD Network &amp; Environment pillar treats data flow mapping as a foundational capability, and Fidelis Network addresses it through:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1eb2580 elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Passive <a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/threatgeek\/deception\/asset-discovery-and-risk-mapping-using-deception\/\">asset discovery<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/threatgeek\/threat-detection-response\/asset-profiling-context-driven-risk-mitigation\/\">Asset profiling<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/cybersecurity-101\/threats-and-vulnerabilities\/effective-cyber-risk-assessment\/\"> Risk assessment<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/threatgeek\/xdr-security\/cyber-terrain-mapping-with-fidelis\/\">Cyber terrain mapping<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6078f71 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Rather than relying on inventories someone has to keep current by hand, it uses observed communications to identify assets, understand their relationships, and reveal the network paths between them.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>An architect can use that to ask practical questions:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e0b8e80 elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Which systems regularly talk to a given mission-support application?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Is a management server reaching resources outside its expected operational area?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Which unmanaged or legacy assets are showing up in traffic?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Does the traffic between two segments reflect a real operational dependency?<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ad4f30 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Consider a maintenance application that needs periodic contact with a system in another network zone. If the connection is blocked without understanding the dependency, the operations will get interrupted. And if it is left open permanently, it is a standing risk that nobody reviews.<\/p>\n<p>In such cases, observed traffic evidence enables the architect to separate an expected dependency from a connection that needs scrutiny, which means segmentation decisions rest on measured behavior instead of assumptions about how the environment works.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c3bb53 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Segmentation Does Not Stop an Attacker Who is Already Inside<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aa8aafe elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Micro-segmentation helps by limiting unnecessary communication between systems. But assuming segmentation will stop malicious activity is a mistake. Unfortunately, Zero Trust programs drift into it when enforcement becomes the main measure of progress.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, when an attacker who has compromised a trusted account spends most of the time moving between systems inside the policy-permitted zone, that movement may never produce a new perimeter event. In such cases if the security team is watching the boundaries will never be aware of the most consequential phase of the attack.<\/p>\n<p>This is the gap Fidelis Network\u00ae <a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/threatgeek\/network-security\/deep-session-inspection\/\">Deep Session Inspection<\/a> addresses, and it is where reliance on flow records or perimeter alerts falls short.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7cb97dbc elementor-widget elementor-widget-Table\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tFlow DataDeep Session Inspection (DSI)\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tFlow data can establish: <\/p>\n<p>Two systems communicated<br \/>\nWhen they communicated<br \/>\nHow much data moved<br \/>\nDSI reassembles:<\/p>\n<p>observed sessions<br \/>\ndecodes supported application protocols<br \/>\nextracts richer communication metadata and content where available.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4267a05 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Fidelis Network combines deep session inspection with <a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/threatgeek\/network-security\/using-behavioral-analytics-to-spot-hidden-threats\/\">behavioral analytics<\/a> and threat intelligence to flag suspicious activity across monitored traffic. The platform supports boundary-focused monitoring, and internal sensors are designed to analyze east-west traffic.<\/p>\n<p>For a defense SOC, the objective is to catch movement before the attacker reaches additional high-value resources, and in such cases, internal visibility is what makes that objective achievable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d95b3ec elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Inspecting Encrypted Traffic Without Assuming Everything Can Be Decrypted<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7abb172 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Encryption is essential to protecting military and defense communications, and security teams still have to investigate those communications. The practical question is how much can be learned without requiring access to every encrypted payload.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Fidelis Network handles this with two complementary methods. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e009ce elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">The first is session <a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/cybersecurity-101\/network-security\/metadata-analysis\/\">metadata analysis<\/a>. DSI examines available TLS and network metadata to identify suspicious patterns without decrypting the underlying content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">The second is deeper content inspection where it is authorized. Fidelis supports decrypted traffic inspection through appropriate deployment integrations and policies, including supported proxy-based inspection workflows.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2d378cc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Support for both is important in DoD environments, where encryption requirements, security boundaries, and mission sensitivity can restrict where decryption is permitted at all.<\/p>\n<p>Fidelis can <a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/threatgeek\/network-security\/encrypted-traffic-inspection-without-breaking-privacy\/\">examine encrypted traffic<\/a> without treating all of it as readable content. In practice, that lets architects choose inspection methods to fit the technical and security constraints of each part of the network, instead of forcing one approach across all of them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4026052 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Mission Data Needs Protection After Access is Granted<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-be30909 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Zero Trust is fundamentally not about controlling who enters the network, but protecting resources and information. For defense organizations, the exposure covers:<\/p>\n<p>Operational informationSensitive communicationsPersonnel recordsTechnical documentsOther mission-related data\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ef1b4ee elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Not every exposure involves a sophisticated intrusion. In 2023, reports<a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/#citeref2\">[2]<\/a> revealed that more than 117,000 emails intended for the U.S. military\u2019s .mil addresses had been mistakenly directed to Mali\u2019s .ml domain, including messages that potentially contained sensitive information.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody had to defeat an authentication control for that to happen. Users were authenticated, the network access was approved, and the data still left. That is the case for content-aware controls in the network layer.<\/p>\n<p>Fidelis <a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/solutions\/network-dlp\/\">Network DLP<\/a> inspects supported communications and applies policy-based data protection rules. It can analyze reconstructed session content where that content is available, including supported email, web, and network inspection workflows. Depending on the sensor and enforcement configuration, it can alert on suspicious activity and take supported preventive actions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9c05fc0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Investigating Suspicious Activity with Network Evidence<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d916e82 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Detecting an unexpected connection is the easy part. Working out what it means is slower.<\/p>\n<p>Say an internal sensor flags suspicious communication between an administrative workstation and a mission-support server. The analyst has to decide among three possibilities:<\/p>\n<p>An approved administrative taskA compromised account using legitimate toolsOne piece of a wider intrusion\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5775f84 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Each calls for a different response, and an alert alone does not separate them.<\/p>\n<p>Fidelis Network\u2019s forensic capabilities are aimed at exactly that distinction.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ed90bd elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">DSI reconstructs observed sessions and decodes supported protocols, so investigators can examine historical metadata, relevant communication artifacts, transferred files where inspection permits, and the security detections associated with the activity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Retrospective <a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/use-case\/threat-hunting\/\">threat hunting<\/a> adds another dimension, letting analysts revisit stored network evidence when new threat intelligence or indicators arrive. A connection that looked routine last month may look very different against today\u2019s indicators.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Fidelis provides MITRE ATT&amp;CK-aligned investigation context, helping analysts relate observed behavior to known adversary techniques.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f783705 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>For organizations using <a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/fidelis-elevate-extended-detection-and-response-xdr-platform\/\">Fidelis Elevate<\/a>\u00ae XDR, network findings can be connected with available endpoint and deception evidence for a broader investigation.<\/p>\n<p>What this gives a DoD security team is the ability to establish the likely scope of a compromise before making decisions that could affect mission operations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c9440b4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Responding Without Disrupting the Mission<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-17c6cdb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/use-case\/incident-response\/\">Incident response<\/a> in a defense setting involves a hard tradeoff. If you fail to contain a genuine intrusion, the attacker can reach more systems. If you act too aggressively on an uncertain alert, you can take down an essential application or operational dependency. A security tool generating an alert does not make either outcome acceptable.<\/p>\n<p>Fidelis Network supports that decision through threat detection, investigation context, configurable security rules, and integration with response technologies. It supports preventive actions through applicable network, email, and web enforcement configurations, and it can share findings with other tools to coordinate response.<\/p>\n<p>The deployment details matter here. Passive sensors observe mirrored traffic and avoid introducing an inline inspection point, but passive visibility alone does not guarantee that a malicious connection can be stopped before it completes. Where prevention is required, defense architects need to validate the supported enforcement path and how it interacts with existing network controls.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, take a suspicious connection originating from a management server. Disconnecting an entire network segment in response is rarely the right first move. The SOC may first need to:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d3983a elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Identify the server\u2019s operational dependencies<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Confirm the threat<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Determine whether a narrower action can contain it<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ffb568 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/\">Fidelis<\/a> gives investigators the network evidence needed to make that call, which makes response decisions more informed and better matched to operational risk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-619f46dc e-con-full e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con e-child\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1fad4491 e-con-full e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con e-child\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5fb02290 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Real-Time Insight, Real-Time Prevention with Fidelis Network<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-340eb250 elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Block attacks before damage occurs<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Prevent lateral movement inside your network<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Reduce false positives &amp; alert fatigue<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4de6bc55 elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/resource\/whitepaper\/prevention-capabilities-of-fidelis-network\/\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Read the Guide<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5efd26a2 e-con-full elementor-hidden-tablet elementor-hidden-mobile e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con e-child\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24395e2d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-adbeb66 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Zero Trust Has to Work After Access Is Granted<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e7fb51f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>The DoD\u2019s Zero Trust ambitions cannot be met by treating authentication as the final security decision, or by assuming segmentation will expose every malicious action. The complex interconnections in defense networks make it impossible, and the cost of both undetected compromise and unnecessary disruption is too high.<\/p>\n<p>A mature architecture needs evidence of what users, devices, applications, and systems do after they are permitted to communicate. Fidelis Network\u00ae provides that evidence through:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-002d8ff elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Deep Session Inspection<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Cyber terrain mapping<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Behavioral detection<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Network forensics<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Data loss prevention<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ebeed2e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Defense security teams can examine communications, identify suspicious activity, investigate potential compromise, and protect information moving across their networks with Fidelis.<\/p>\n<p>For defense leaders assessing Zero Trust maturity, one test is worth running. If an attacker used legitimately authorized access, could your current architecture detect it and explain what happened?<\/p>\n<p>If the answer is uncertain, Fidelis Network is worth evaluating as the network detection and investigation layer that closes that gap.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d120a8f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Citations:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0e7a8d9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/#cite1\">^<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/products\/gao-26-108596\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">September 2026 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/#cite2\">^<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/ab62af67-ed2a-42d0-87eb-c762ac163cf0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/ab62af67-ed2a-42d0-87eb-c762ac163cf0<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/threatgeek\/network-security\/zero-trust-network-security-department-of-defense\/\">How Fidelis Network Supports Zero Trust Network Security for the Department of Defense<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/fidelissecurity.com\/\">Fidelis Security<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Zero trust network security assumes that network location or previous authentication needs to prove its trustworthiness. Segmentation is only as good as the traffic evidence behind it, and protecting mission data means watching where that data goes. Deep Session Inspection and retrospective analysis give investigators more to work with than connection logs do. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":10117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10116"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}