350-201 Question 78
Single answerAn organization has recently experienced a data breach where attackers moved laterally across the network to access sensitive data. To mitigate this risk in the future, the security team is tasked with applying network segmentation. Which approach should they prioritize to effectively reduce lateral movement?
- A
Segment the network by placing critical assets in a dedicated VLAN and applying strict access control policies.
- B
Enable port mirroring on all switches to monitor network traffic.
- C
Implement a flat network architecture to simplify management and reduce misconfigurations.
- D
Use a single firewall to apply access control policies across the entire network.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Network segmentation is a critical cybersecurity strategy used to isolate sensitive resources and reduce lateral movement within a network. By placing critical assets in a dedicated VLAN and enforcing strict access control policies, organizations can minimize the attack surface and limit the ability of attackers to move laterally. Other approaches, like monitoring traffic or relying on a single firewall, do not provide the same level of protection.
- A. Correct.
Segmenting the network by placing critical assets in a dedicated VLAN and applying strict access control policies is the correct approach to reduce lateral movement. This limits access to sensitive resources and isolates them from other parts of the network, effectively preventing unauthorized access.
- B. Incorrect.
Enabling port mirroring only allows monitoring of network traffic but does not actively prevent lateral movement or segment the network.
- C. Incorrect.
Implementing a flat network architecture would increase the risk of lateral movement, as there would be no segmentation or barriers to restrict attackers.
- D. Incorrect.
Using a single firewall for the entire network does not provide sufficient granularity for access control and does not achieve effective segmentation.