What term refers to network topology enforced by switches, routers, and firewalls that prevents hosts on different segments from communicating?

What term refers to network topology enforced by switches, routers, and firewalls that prevents hosts on different segments from communicating?

• A. logical segmentation
• B. security zones
• C. attack surface
• D. port security

Answer: (A)

Network segmentation is the practice of dividing a network into separate, isolated segments and enforcing the boundaries between them with devices like switches, routers, and firewalls. By placing controls at these boundaries, hosts on different segments cannot communicate unless there’s an explicit, allowed path. This topology creates containment, reduces the blast radius of breaches, and allows different security policies to apply to each segment. It’s achieved through mechanisms like VLANs, subnets, and access control rules that govern traffic between segments. Security zones are related in that they group devices by trust levels and apply policies between groups, but the emphasis here is on the structural separation of the network into segments that are not allowed to communicate by default. Attack surface describes the total set of potential entry points an attacker could exploit, not how the network is partitioned. Port security is a specific switch feature controlling which devices can attach to a port, not the overarching topology that prevents inter-segment communication.

Network segmentation is the practice of dividing a network into separate, isolated segments and enforcing the boundaries between them with devices like switches, routers, and firewalls. By placing controls at these boundaries, hosts on different segments cannot communicate unless there’s an explicit, allowed path. This topology creates containment, reduces the blast radius of breaches, and allows different security policies to apply to each segment. It’s achieved through mechanisms like VLANs, subnets, and access control rules that govern traffic between segments.

Security zones are related in that they group devices by trust levels and apply policies between groups, but the emphasis here is on the structural separation of the network into segments that are not allowed to communicate by default. Attack surface describes the total set of potential entry points an attacker could exploit, not how the network is partitioned. Port security is a specific switch feature controlling which devices can attach to a port, not the overarching topology that prevents inter-segment communication.