Secure Internet Access (SIA)

Secure internet access (SIA) refers to the measures and technologies that secure the connection between the endpoint and the internet. SIA ensures the privacy and integrity of data and provides a safe browsing experience. It encompasses a range of practices and technologies to protect networks, devices, and data. 

The concept of SIA has grown alongside the development of the internet but was not top-of-mind for users until the emergence of security protocols like Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) in the late 1990s. Malicious hackers were continually launching new viruses, Trojans, and other attacks. Security technologies continued to improve and expand, leading to products like anti-virus/spyware software, web filters, firewalls, and web browsers with encryption (HTTPS) and other security tools. The eventual emergence of Zero Trust Security changed the paradigm around SIA, and internet security became a larger domain of threat protection.

Modern SIA includes many components and functions, but these components and functions are more accessible and stronger than ever before. Almost all end-user business traffic is web-based and using the HTTPS protocol to send data across the internet. SIA practices and technologies are a requirement for companies and individuals who rely on web applications and internet-based business activities. For example:

• Hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers use SIA to protect patient information and comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and other data protection regulations.
• Government entities use SIA to safeguard sensitive data and maintain national security by protecting against cyber espionage and other threats. The U.S. Federal Government has multiple SIA initiatives, including the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) program and the Login.gov secure sign-in service.
• Schools, universities, and other educational institutions use SIA to secure personal information, financial transactions, research data, and many more types of information. SIA is also required to maintain a safe learning environment, which is a regulatory requirement for many schools.
• Individual internet users rely on SIA to protect their personal data and privacy while browsing the web, shopping online, or using online banking services. Most of these services will require a security baseline, which may include updated web browsers, a minimum level of encryption, and a CAPTCHA challenge designed to stop bots and ensure that only a human user can access an account.

Secure internet access is necessary to protect networked endpoints and the data transmitted between them. This security has been critical to the growth of the internet, software-as-a-service, and other web applications. Secure internet access has been vital to the digital transformation and business continuity of companies and governments around the world. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the development of cyber-physical systems depend on the ability to secure companies and their data from online threats.

Modern SIA solutions extend business network security beyond the headquarters and branch offices. This allows companies to use a remote or hybrid workforce without putting the network at risk. Some use-case scenarios require SIA even when traffic doesn’t reach the internet. Healthcare providers sometimes use web-based electronic health records (EHR) software that is hosted on-premises. This scenario requires some SIA components to secure this HTTPS traffic, even if the system is hosted and accessed locally.

Most of SIA operates within three domains of protection:

Data privacy: This involves the control of access to sensitive data and determining which parties can access and share sensitive data. Data privacy controls include authentication and authorization, encryption technologies, and privacy policies set by the business and enforced through security configurations. This area of security ensures that personal or confidential information is not compromised and misused.

Data integrity: In the context of SIA, data integrity involves making sure that data remains accurate, complete, and consistent during transmission. This domain is primarily concerned with functions like error checking, encryption, and other functions that prevent attackers from tampering with data. Accurate and reliable data is required for regulatory compliance and business intelligence. 

Threat prevention: Cyberattacks are a major concern for every company and individual who conducts business on the internet. Secure internet access defends against malware, phishing attacks, data breaches, intrusions, data exfiltration, and more. Businesses often configure cloud or data center security measures to complement the endpoint SIA. This includes solutions like firewall and edge protection, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and content filtering. Robust SIA capabilities protect endpoints and the business network from ransomware, phishing, and other threats.

Modern SIA incorporates a handful of principles and functionalities that fall within one or more of the three domains mentioned above. These include: 

• Traffic inspection: SIA examines all incoming and outgoing internet traffic. It analyzes URLs, files, and content to identify potential threats. This closely aligns with the malware detection system.
• Malware detection and prevention: SIA blocks access to malicious or compromised sites, prevents malware downloads, and detects intrusion attempts. Downloads are inspected in a sandboxed environment and sanitized for delivery or blocked from the endpoint.
• Content filtering: This involves the enforcement of web browsing security policies. This filtering is primarily based on web categories like social media, gaming, and adult content. Most content filtering solutions allow for customization according to department needs. For example, the team responsible for social media would need access to the websites in the social media category.
• Data leak prevention (DLP): SIA helps prevent sensitive data leakage by monitoring and controlling data transfers. These features block the sharing or storage of sensitive information on unsanctioned social media, SaaS applications, and file-sharing services.
• Encryption and decryption: HTTPS and other encrypted traffic can hide malicious content and threats. This SIA function will decrypt the traffic to analyze the content for signs of malware, phishing, and other attacks. This ensures secure communication and provides visibility into user behavior and potential risks.
• User authentication: Identity access management (IAM) performs authentication and authorization and determines appropriate access based on identity.
• Cloud integration: Firewall-as-a-service, secure web gateways, and many other SIA solutions are cloud-native. Endpoint components like endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools integrate with cloud services, which makes the on-device security smarter and easier to manage. Overall, the cloud gives companies enterprise-grade security on the device plus the flexibility to scale deployment up or down as needed.
• Phishing detection: Artificial intelligence, heuristic analysis, and many other technologies work together to detect, prevent, and mitigate cyberattacks. This includes phishing attacks, which SIA may prevent by inspecting web forms, password boxes, and other potential phishing indicators. SIA also defends against phishing attacks with its many other security mechanisms, like URL filtering, content inspection, and malware prevention.
• Intrusion prevention and detection: These systems monitor network traffic flows for suspicious activity or signs of attacks. Detection may be based on behavior analysis or signatures that match activity to a database of known threats. Prevention systems often respond to detection by dropping malicious packets, blocking IP addresses, and alerting security teams to the potential threat.
• Remote browser isolation (RBI): This feature isolates untrusted browser activity from user devices and corporate networks. This normally involves executing webpages and associated code on a remote server rather than the user device. RBI will also eliminate any malicious cookies or downloads after the session ends.
• Unified management and analytics: Enterprise-grade SIA solutions offer a unified management platform that provides a holistic view and granular control over security capabilities. This includes analytics for identifying security incidents, unusual behavior, and policy violations.

SIA integrates multiple security technologies to protect endpoints, networks, and data. Security vendors may vary in their implementations, but nearly all business SIA solutions contain these core functions.

The above components work together to provide a comprehensive secure workflow. Here’s a summary of what happens behind the scenes of SIA:

• User authentication and authorization: Before accessing the network, users must authenticate using secure methods, such as multifactor authentication (MFA). This ensures that only authorized users can access network resources.
• Traffic monitoring and filtering: Firewalls, SWGs, and NGFWs monitor incoming and outgoing traffic, blocking any traffic that does not comply with security policies. This filtering helps prevent malicious traffic from entering the network.
• Threat detection and prevention: IDS and IPS work in tandem to detect and block potential threats. IDS alerts administrators to suspicious activities, while IPS actively prevents these threats from causing harm.
• Data encryption and secure transmission: DLP solutions ensure data transmitted over the network is encrypted and protected from interception. DLP also monitors data transfers to prevent unauthorized data leakage.
• Continuous monitoring and response: ATP and ZTNA provide continuous monitoring and analysis of network activities. ATP detects and mitigates advanced threats, while ZTNA enforces strict access controls, ensuring only verified users and devices can access the network.
• Reporting and investigation: The system logs DNS, HTTP, and HTTPS traffic. SIA and security teams can monitor user activities and investigate all potential risks and detected threats.

Secure internet access is a core component of Security Service Edge (SSE) and SASE deployments. It operates within the last mile of these security models.

SASE is a network architecture framework that combines network security functions (like secure web gateways, firewalls, and Zero Trust Network Access) with wide-area networking (WAN) capabilities. This integration is provided through a single, cloud-delivered service model.

SSE is a subset of SASE focused specifically on security services. Companies might deploy an SSE security model as a first step toward a full SASE deployment. This is common when the company already has a robust networking infrastructure or a limited budget that restricts the scope of IT projects.

Here’s a simplified look at the relationship between SASE and SSE: 

Regulatory environments vary, but all can benefit from consistent application of SIA features and practices:

• SIA solutions provide detailed logging and reporting capabilities that capture and record all network activities, making it easier to demonstrate compliance during audits.
• By encrypting data in transit and at rest, SIA ensures that sensitive information is protected according to regulatory guidelines, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS.
• SIA enforces security policies that align with regulatory standards, ensuring that access controls, data protection measures, and threat detection mechanisms meet compliance requirements.
• Comprehensive SIA audit trails provide a record of all security-related activities, facilitating compliance verification and incident investigations.
• SIA solutions receive regular intelligence, security, and feature updates. These updates address new vulnerabilities and comply with the latest security standards and regulations.
• The user training and awareness programs included with some SIA solutions help employees understand and adhere to regulatory requirements.

Since the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns, secure internet access technologies have played a crucial role in securing the remote and hybrid workforce. The rapid shift to remote work exposed vulnerabilities in traditional security models, prompting organizations to adopt SIA solutions to protect their distributed workforce.

Companies have continued to benefit from these SIA solutions as they adapted to the post-lockdown workforce and business environment:

• Increased security posture: SIA has significantly reduced the risk of cyberattacks, data breaches, and unauthorized access. Secure internet access solutions ensure that remote and hybrid workers can operate securely.
• Enhanced productivity: Employees can work from any location without compromising security. This allows them to access corporate resources securely, collaborate effectively, and maintain high performance.
• Cost efficiency: Cloud-based security solutions can replace more expensive on-premises hardware. These solutions usually have centralized management, which helps IT teams reduce the time they spend on administrative tasks. The scalability of cloud solutions allows companies to adjust their cloud consumption as needed, so they aren’t paying for more than they use.
• Improved user experience: Technologies like remote browser isolation and cloud security provide seamless and secure access to web and cloud applications without disrupting the user experience.