Motivation

• Future-generation networks are increasingly expanding to include untrusted edge devices. Thus, the security parameter is dynamically changing. How can we adapt the network isolation & security mechanisms in real-time with minimal impact on utility and performance?
• Current network attacks and Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) have shifted from automated attacks to highly-targeted multi-stage attacks with adaptive strategies and stealthy lateral movements that originate internally. How can we perform defense-in-depth, localize and isolate such attackers?

Use-case

• Smart home and IoT networks
• Microservice networks in edge clouds

Methods

• Leveraging softwarized networks and programmable networking to reduce the attack surface, and analyze network security metrics.
• Develop new approaches to approximate the origins and targets of stealthy polymorphic attacks that evade traditional IPS/IDS.

Future

• Develop & Improve zero-trust networking strategies and their incremental deployment.
• Develop dynamic end-to-end segmentation across multiple administrative domains in a way that is transparent to end devices.