"Think of your network like an apartment building. You've got a locked front door - that's your perimeter. But once someone gets inside, there's no front desk checking IDs, no elevator security and the same outdated lock on every unit. An intruder can roam freely, entering any apartment they choose. Microsegmentation is the internal security system. It's the keycard for the elevator, the camera in the hallway, the unique lock on your door. It's what stops one compromised device from becoming a full-blown breach."
"Let's revisit the OPM breach. It didn't start at OPM; it started at DOI. Attackers gained access through a compromised laptop and moved laterally across the network. Had we implemented microsegmentation, they wouldn't have gotten past that first system. It's a powerful reminder that one weak link can compromise an entire ecosystem. But here's the catch: not all microsegmentation solutions are created equal. Most are designed for IT - data centers, cloud workloads and user devices. That's important. But it's not enough."
Microsegmentation reduces the blast radius by limiting lateral movement after a compromise, preventing a single infected device from reaching critical systems. An apartment-building analogy illustrates perimeter defenses alone are insufficient without internal controls like unique locks, keycards, cameras and elevator restrictions. The OPM breach began via a DOI-compromised laptop and succeeded because attackers moved laterally across the network; microsegmentation would have blocked lateral propagation. Not all microsegmentation products cover both IT and operational technology. In Q1 2025 agencies faced 2,678 cyberattacks weekly, many targeting OT; Fortinet reports 50% of organizations experienced intrusions, with lower-maturity entities suffering disproportionately.
Read at Nextgov.com
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