Layer 1 Visibility – Cybersecurity First

Cybersecurity Awareness Month – Week 4, Cybersecurity First

Here at Sepio we like to stress the importance of Layer 1 visibility. But why is Layer 1 in the OSI model such a crucial element to your cybersecurity efforts? Below are some facts about Layer 1 that will better explain its crucial role in protecting your organization.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Traffic-based visibility solutions, such as NAC, IDS and IoT Network Security, lack Layer 1 visibility. Such blind spot allows unmanaged switches, passive taps, and out-of-band devices to fly under the radar while spoofing devices get recognized as legitimate devices. Layer 1 visibility provides a panacea to such security challenges by identifying all devices for what they truly are through their Physical Layer information. Asset management efforts are ineffective if you don’t have full asset visibility. It’s imperative to asset management to know which assets you actually have.

When you can see everything, you can protect everything.

See All Evil

Cybercrime syndicates and state-sponsored actors are fully aware of the Layer 1 visibility challenge and focus their efforts on exploiting this blind spot. There is a range of attack tools available on the market that operate on Layer 1. In doing so, these tools, collectively known as Rogue Devices, evade detection, allowing bad actors to covertly carry out their attacks, whether that be data theft, malware injection, or DDoS, to name a few. Without Layer 1 security, organizations can’t accurately determine what (or who) is operating within their infrastructure, which is a major security risk.

If it sounds like a cat, feels like a cat, and meows like a cat, it still might be a Raspberry Pi spoofing a legitimate cat.

Smart Devices, Smart Loopholes

Internet of Things devices, such as IP cameras and printers, present vulnerabilities due to their use of MAC Authentication Bypass (MAB). These non-802.1x compliant devices can effortlessly gain unauthorized network access by spoofing a legitimate MAC address. By setting up exceptions for non-802.1x compliant devices, you create a huge hole in your security defenses – a hole large enough for attackers to enter through.

Don’t let smart devices outsmart your security efforts.

Less is Not More

Your existing cybersecurity investments are not a waste of money. Organizations still need their current solutions. However, they, alone, cannot protect the organization from the myriad of threats faced. In fact, nothing out there, on its own, can enable complete protection. Yet, Layer 1 information provides the foundation for a more effective cybersecurity approach. Hence, when integrated with Layer 1 visibility, existing solutions such as NAC, EPS, SIEM and SOAR, are put to better use, and the organization achieves a stronger security posture.

The first layer is your sixth sense – but you still need the others.

Eyes like a hawk

Layer 1 visibility is not something out of a fairy tale. Sepio’s Hardware Access Control (HAC-1) solution works on the hardware level to provide the required visibility, down to Layer 1 data. Sepio’s solution goes deeper and lower than any other solution has gone before to ensure that your devices are trusted and are not just claiming to be by validating Layer 1 information. Lastly, with HAC-1’s complete visibility, organizations can effectively enforce their access control measures through Zero Trust Hardware Access.

We see what others don’t.

Now that you know why Layer 1 visibility is so vital, let us help you achieve it. In just 24 hours you can see what assets you really have and achieve a stronger cybersecurity posture. Going deeper doesn’t have to be a struggle…