Define Air Gapped Networks
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When using terminology like "Air Gapped" what is your first impression of it?
When I see someone say they have an air gapped network, I think it to mean that the network is separate from the rest of the organization (through a physical disconnect), and that Air Gapped, does not imply the lack of internet.
Air Gapped != Without InternetWhat's your opinion?
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@DustinB3403 said in Define Air Gapped Networks:
When using terminology like "Air Gapped" what is your first impression of it?
When I see someone say they have an air gapped network, I think it to mean that the network is separate from the rest of the organization (through a physical disconnect), and that Air Gapped, does not imply the lack of internet.
Air Gapped != Without InternetWhat's your opinion?
That's a common assumption for sure. I agree that just because a network is "Air Gapped" doesn't mean lack of internet.
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I think it is isolated from the rest of the network. This is to ensure that data and intellectual property are kept safely guarded.
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@IThomeboy80 said in Define Air Gapped Networks:
I think it is isolated from the rest of the network. This is to ensure that data and intellectual property are kept safely guarded.
Right, but isolated from the "rest of the network" doesn't mean that it is isolated from the rest of the world.
Or are you suggesting that it does?
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@DustinB3403 said in Define Air Gapped Networks:
When using terminology like "Air Gapped" what is your first impression of it?
When I see someone say they have an air gapped network, I think it to mean that the network is separate from the rest of the organization (through a physical disconnect), and that Air Gapped, does not imply the lack of internet.
Air Gapped != Without InternetWhat's your opinion?
An air gapped network is indeed physically isolated from other networks, but the key yiur missing is that it is also isolated from the Internet. The primary characteristic being lack of any connection to outside networks, including the internet.
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@IThomeboy80 said in Define Air Gapped Networks:
I think it is isolated from the rest of the network. This is to ensure that data and intellectual property are kept safely guarded.
Definitely isolated, but it HAS to be isolated by a lack of connection.
If you hack a normally isolated network's infrastructure, you need nothing more to violate the isolation.
If you hack an air gapped network infrastructure, you have to further hack a human (or robot) to remove the air gap in order to violate the isolation.
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@Obsolesce said in Define Air Gapped Networks:
@DustinB3403 said in Define Air Gapped Networks:
When using terminology like "Air Gapped" what is your first impression of it?
When I see someone say they have an air gapped network, I think it to mean that the network is separate from the rest of the organization (through a physical disconnect), and that Air Gapped, does not imply the lack of internet.
Air Gapped != Without InternetWhat's your opinion?
An air gapped network is indeed physically isolated from other networks, but the key yiur missing is that it is also isolated from the Internet. The primary characteristic being lack of any connection to outside networks, including the internet.
It's not the "connection to the outside" that violates the air gap, the issue is that if BOTH networks connect to the Internet or any shared network, it clearly isn't air gapped. Air gapped systems can never talk to each other without a different mechanism passing messages in between that crosses the air gap.
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@DustinB3403 said in Define Air Gapped Networks:
@IThomeboy80 said in Define Air Gapped Networks:
I think it is isolated from the rest of the network. This is to ensure that data and intellectual property are kept safely guarded.
Right, but isolated from the "rest of the network" doesn't mean that it is isolated from the rest of the world.
Or are you suggesting that it does?
Well the "rest of hte world" is a connection between the two. So while "the outside world" itself isn't a problem, both can't be on the Internet without being connected to each other.
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Think of it another way...
Two random computers anywhere on the Internet are isolated from each other. I can't randomly send data to an ad hoc computer somewhere on the Internet. But we aren't air gapped.
So "isolated" is a super low bar. If I'm at my house and you are at your house and we are both online we are isolated. So isolated is the default state of most computer users. But air gapping is an extreme measure that goes dramatically beyond that so that no amount of technical hacking could ever, physically, breach the gap. You have to social engineer a human to connect the computer to something in order to remove the air gap in order to hack it.
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@scottalanmiller said in Define Air Gapped Networks:
@Obsolesce said in Define Air Gapped Networks:
@DustinB3403 said in Define Air Gapped Networks:
When using terminology like "Air Gapped" what is your first impression of it?
When I see someone say they have an air gapped network, I think it to mean that the network is separate from the rest of the organization (through a physical disconnect), and that Air Gapped, does not imply the lack of internet.
Air Gapped != Without InternetWhat's your opinion?
An air gapped network is indeed physically isolated from other networks, but the key yiur missing is that it is also isolated from the Internet. The primary characteristic being lack of any connection to outside networks, including the internet.
It's not the "connection to the outside" that violates the air gap, the issue is that if BOTH networks connect to the Internet or any shared network, it clearly isn't air gapped. Air gapped systems can never talk to each other without a different mechanism passing messages in between that crosses the air gap.
You misinterpreted what I wrote. Coupled with the first sentence, it's clear. Also, outside being outside said network, not necessarily public networks.
