🛡️ Zero-Trust Network Architecture Through Cloud-Native Excellence
🎯 Demonstrating Network Security Mastery for Cybersecurity Consulting
📋 Document Owner: CEO | 📄 Version: 2.3 | 📅 Last Updated: 2026-01-25 (UTC)
🔄 Review Cycle: Annual | ⏰ Next Review: 2027-01-25
Hack23 AB's network security framework demonstrates how cloud-native zero-trust architecture directly enables business agility rather than constraining it. Our comprehensive network protection serves as both operational necessity and client demonstration of our cybersecurity consulting expertise.
As a cybersecurity consulting company operating entirely in the cloud, our network security approach showcases modern security architecture principles while ensuring robust protection for our business operations. Our network controls demonstrate to potential clients how systematic network security creates competitive advantages through resilient, scalable infrastructure.
Our commitment to transparency means our network security implementation becomes a reference architecture, showing how comprehensive network protection enables rather than hinders innovation and business growth.
— James Pether Sörling, CEO/Founder
This policy establishes comprehensive network security standards for all Hack23 AB network infrastructure, ensuring protection of data flows while supporting business objectives and demonstrating cybersecurity consulting excellence.
Scope: All network infrastructure, security controls, and communication channels documented in 💻 Asset Register, including AWS VPC architecture, DNS services, CDN configuration, and email systems.
Requirements:
- MUST implement "never trust, always verify" authentication
- MUST enforce micro-segmentation with least privilege access
- MUST maintain continuous monitoring with automated threat response
flowchart TB
subgraph "🌐 Internet Edge"
INTERNET[Internet Traffic<br/>Global Users]
CLOUDFRONT[CloudFront CDN<br/>DDoS Protection + WAF]
end
subgraph "🔒 Public Tier - DMZ"
ALB[Application Load Balancer<br/>TLS Termination]
WAF[AWS WAF<br/>OWASP Rule Sets]
ROUTE53[Route 53<br/>DNSSEC Enabled]
end
subgraph "🛡️ Application Tier - Private"
LAMBDA[Lambda Functions<br/>Serverless Logic]
API[API Gateway<br/>Rate Limiting]
WORKMAIL[WorkMail<br/>Secure Email]
end
subgraph "💾 Data Tier - Isolated"
RDS[RDS PostgreSQL<br/>Private Subnets Only]
S3[S3 Buckets<br/>VPC Endpoints]
KMS[KMS Keys<br/>Encryption Services]
end
subgraph "🔧 Management Plane"
SSM[Systems Manager<br/>Secure Access]
CLOUDTRAIL[CloudTrail<br/>Audit Logging]
BACKUP[AWS Backup<br/>Cross-Region]
end
INTERNET --> CLOUDFRONT
CLOUDFRONT --> ALB
ALB --> LAMBDA
LAMBDA --> RDS
LAMBDA --> S3
WAF --> ALB
ROUTE53 --> CLOUDFRONT
SSM --> LAMBDA
CLOUDTRAIL --> S3
style INTERNET fill:#D32F2F
style ALB fill:#FFC107
style LAMBDA fill:#4CAF50
style RDS fill:#7B1FA2
style SSM fill:#D32F2F
Network Segmentation Requirements:
- ✅ MUST implement network segmentation with clearly defined security zones
- ✅ MUST enforce least privilege network access between segments
- ✅ MUST maintain network access control lists (NACLs) and security groups
- ✅ MUST implement monitoring and logging for all inter-segment traffic
Network security controls MUST:
graph LR
subgraph "🛡️ Perimeter Defense Requirements"
DDOS[DDoS Protection<br/>✅ MUST: Automatic scaling]
FIREWALL[Firewall Rules<br/>✅ MUST: Default deny]
INTRUSION[Intrusion Detection<br/>✅ MUST: Real-time alerts]
end
subgraph "🔒 Encryption Requirements"
TRANSIT[Data in Transit<br/>✅ MUST: TLS 1.2+]
VPN[Secure Tunnels<br/>✅ MUST: Strong ciphers]
KEYS[Key Management<br/>✅ MUST: Regular rotation]
end
subgraph "📊 Monitoring Requirements"
LOGS[Network Logs<br/>✅ MUST: Complete capture]
ANALYSIS[Traffic Analysis<br/>✅ MUST: Behavioral detection]
RESPONSE[Incident Response<br/>✅ MUST: <15 min critical]
end
DDOS --> TRANSIT
FIREWALL --> VPN
INTRUSION --> KEYS
TRANSIT --> LOGS
VPN --> ANALYSIS
KEYS --> RESPONSE
style DDOS fill:#D32F2F
style TRANSIT fill:#4CAF50
style LOGS fill:#1565C0
Security Control Requirements:
- ✅ MUST implement web application firewall with OWASP rule sets
- ✅ MUST enforce TLS 1.2 or higher for all data transmission
- ✅ MUST maintain comprehensive network traffic monitoring
- ✅ MUST establish automated threat detection and response capabilities
DNS security implementation MUST:
flowchart TD
subgraph "🌐 DNS Security Requirements"
DNSSEC[DNSSEC<br/>✅ MUST: Enabled all domains]
MONITORING[DNS Monitoring<br/>✅ MUST: Query logging]
PROTECTION[Domain Protection<br/>✅ MUST: Registrar locks]
end
subgraph "📧 Email Security Requirements"
SPF[SPF Records<br/>✅ MUST: Strict policy]
DKIM[DKIM Signing<br/>✅ MUST: Key rotation]
DMARC[DMARC Policy<br/>✅ MUST: Reject mode]
end
subgraph "🔐 Certificate Management"
TLS[TLS Certificates<br/>✅ MUST: Auto-renewal]
TRANSPARENCY[Cert Transparency<br/>✅ MUST: Monitoring]
VALIDATION[Domain Validation<br/>✅ MUST: Automated checks]
end
DNSSEC --> SPF
MONITORING --> DKIM
PROTECTION --> DMARC
SPF --> TLS
DKIM --> TRANSPARENCY
DMARC --> VALIDATION
style DNSSEC fill:#4CAF50
style SPF fill:#1565C0
style TLS fill:#FFC107
DNS and Domain Requirements:
- ✅ MUST enable DNSSEC for all organizational domains
- ✅ MUST implement email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- ✅ MUST maintain domain registrar locks and transfer restrictions
- ✅ MUST monitor for unauthorized DNS changes and certificate issuance
Network incident response MUST:
sequenceDiagram
participant THREAT as 🚨 Network Threat
participant DETECTION as 🔍 Detection System
participant RESPONSE as ⚡ Response Team
participant CONTAINMENT as 🛡️ Containment
participant RECOVERY as 🔄 Recovery
THREAT->>DETECTION: ✅ MUST: Immediate detection
DETECTION->>RESPONSE: ✅ MUST: <5 min alert
RESPONSE->>CONTAINMENT: ✅ MUST: <15 min action
CONTAINMENT->>RECOVERY: ✅ MUST: Evidence preservation
RECOVERY->>RECOVERY: ✅ MUST: Complete documentation
Incident Response Requirements:
- ✅ MUST establish network security incident classification procedures
- ✅ MUST implement automated containment for critical threats (DDoS, intrusion)
- ✅ MUST maintain evidence preservation capabilities for forensic analysis
- ✅ MUST document all response actions within defined timeframes
Requirements:
- MUST enable DNSSEC with annual KSK and quarterly ZSK rotation
- MUST implement DNS firewall with malware/phishing protection
- MUST enable DNS query logging for security monitoring
- MUST maintain registrar domain locks and change notifications
AWS Route 53 Resolver DNS Firewall:
- Malware Protection: Block known malicious domains and IPs
- Phishing Prevention: Block newly registered suspicious domains
- Botnet Detection: Block command & control communications
- Custom Rules: Organization-specific allow/block lists
Route 53 Resolver Query Logs:
- Query Logging: All DNS requests logged to CloudWatch
- Anomaly Detection: Unusual query patterns and volumes
- Threat Intelligence: Integration with security feeds
- Compliance Reporting: DNS security metrics and KPIs
flowchart TB
subgraph "📧 Email Authentication Layer"
SPF[SPF Record<br/>v=spf1 include:amazonses.com -all]
DKIM[DKIM Signing<br/>2048-bit RSA Keys]
DMARC[DMARC Policy<br/>p=reject sp=reject]
end
subgraph "🔒 Transport Security Layer"
MTASTS[MTA-STS Policy<br/>Enforce TLS Encryption]
TLSRPT[TLS-RPT Reporting<br/>Delivery Monitoring]
CERTIFICATES[TLS Certificates<br/>Certificate Transparency]
end
subgraph "☁️ AWS WorkMail Platform"
WORKMAIL[AWS WorkMail<br/>Managed Email Service]
KMS[AWS KMS<br/>Encryption at Rest]
IDENTITY[AWS Identity Center<br/>MFA + RBAC]
end
subgraph "🎨 Brand Protection (Future)"
BIMI[BIMI Records<br/>Brand Indicators]
VMC[Verified Mark Certificate<br/>Required for BIMI]
end
SPF --> WORKMAIL
DKIM --> WORKMAIL
DMARC --> WORKMAIL
MTASTS --> CERTIFICATES
TLSRPT --> CERTIFICATES
WORKMAIL --> KMS
WORKMAIL --> IDENTITY
BIMI --> VMC
style SPF fill:#4CAF50
style DKIM fill:#1565C0
style DMARC fill:#D32F2F
style WORKMAIL fill:#FFC107
style BIMI fill:#7B1FA2
✅ MUST implement strict SPF policy (-all) for all email-sending domains
✅ MUST include only authorized mail servers in SPF records
✅ MUST use v=spf1 include:amazonses.com -all format for AWS WorkMail integration
✅ MUST enable DKIM signing for all outbound email
✅ MUST use AWS WorkMail managed key rotation
✅ MUST implement minimum 2048-bit RSA keys for DKIM signatures
✅ MUST implement DMARC policy with p=reject for production domains
✅ MUST configure aggregate reporting (rua=) for compliance monitoring
✅ MUST set strict DKIM alignment (adkim=s) and relaxed SPF alignment (aspf=r)
✅ MUST apply policy to subdomains (sp=reject)
✅ MUST implement MTA-STS policy for all domains sending business-critical email
✅ MUST use enforce mode for production email domains
✅ MUST host policy files at https://mta-sts.hack23.com/.well-known/mta-sts.txt
✅ MUST configure appropriate TTL (86400 seconds minimum)
✅ MUST configure reporting endpoint at admin@hack23.com for policy violations
MTA-STS Policy Configuration:
- Policy Mode:
enforce(mandatory for production domains) - Max Age:
86400seconds (24 hours minimum) - MX Records: AWS WorkMail servers only
- Policy Location:
https://mta-sts.hack23.com/.well-known/mta-sts.txt - Reporting Email:
admin@hack23.comfor policy violation reports
✅ MUST implement TLS-RPT for email delivery monitoring
✅ MUST configure reporting URI: v=TLSRPTv1; rua=mailto:admin@hack23.com
✅ MUST process TLS failure reports for security analysis
✅ MUST integrate TLS-RPT data with security monitoring systems
🔄 MAY implement BIMI for brand recognition (requires Verified Mark Certificate)
🔄 MAY be considered for domains with high-volume marketing communications
🔐 Encryption in Transit: TLS 1.2+ mandatory for all SMTP connections
🔐 Encryption at Rest: AWS KMS managed encryption for all stored messages
🔐 Certificate Validation: Proper certificate chain verification required
👤 Authentication: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) required via AWS Identity Center
👤 Authorization: Role-based access control for email administration
👤 Mobile Access: Company device management policies enforced for mobile email access
| Domain | SPF Record | DKIM Status | DMARC Policy | Validation Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hack23.com | ||||
| blacktrigram.com |
Private Service Access:
- MUST implement VPC endpoints for all critical AWS services
- MUST configure endpoint policies for least privilege access
- SHOULD implement Interface endpoints for enhanced security
CIS Control 12.6 - Wireless Access Management: Cloud-native architecture eliminates traditional wireless infrastructure security concerns through serverless and managed services.
flowchart LR
subgraph "🕷️ Data Collection"
VPC[VPC Flow Logs<br/>Network Traffic]
DNS[Route 53 Query Logs<br/>DNS Requests]
ALB[ALB Access Logs<br/>HTTP/HTTPS Traffic]
CF[CloudFront Logs<br/>Edge Requests]
end
subgraph "🔍 Analysis Engine"
GD[GuardDuty<br/>Threat Intelligence]
SH[Security Hub<br/>Finding Aggregation]
CW[CloudWatch<br/>Metrics & Alarms]
DT[Detective<br/>Behavior Analysis]
end
subgraph "🚨 Response Actions"
SNS[SNS Notifications<br/>Immediate Alerts]
LAMBDA[Lambda Functions<br/>Automated Response]
IRP[Incident Response<br/>Manual Investigation]
end
VPC --> GD
DNS --> GD
ALB --> SH
CF --> SH
GD --> SNS
SH --> LAMBDA
CW --> IRP
DT --> IRP
style VPC fill:#1565C0
style GD fill:#4CAF50
style SNS fill:#D32F2F
Implementation of ISO 27001 A.8.17 (Clock synchronization) for accurate audit logging and security event correlation:
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flowchart TD
subgraph TIME_SOURCE["⏰ Authoritative Time Sources"]
AWS_NTP[AWS NTP Service<br/>169.254.169.123]
PUBLIC_NTP[Public NTP Pool<br/>pool.ntp.org]
REGIONAL[Regional Servers<br/>se.pool.ntp.org]
end
subgraph SYSTEMS["💻 System Time Synchronization"]
EC2[EC2 Instances<br/>chrony/ntpd]
LAMBDA[Lambda Functions<br/>AWS-managed time]
WORKMAIL[WorkMail<br/>AWS-managed time]
LOGS[CloudWatch Logs<br/>UTC timestamps]
end
subgraph MONITORING["📊 Time Drift Monitoring"]
DRIFT_DETECT[Drift Detection<br/>CloudWatch Metrics]
ALERTS[Alert Thresholds<br/>>1 sec = Warning]
REMEDIATION[Auto-Remediation<br/>Service Restart]
end
AWS_NTP --> EC2
PUBLIC_NTP --> EC2
REGIONAL --> EC2
EC2 --> DRIFT_DETECT
LAMBDA --> LOGS
WORKMAIL --> LOGS
DRIFT_DETECT --> ALERTS
ALERTS --> REMEDIATION
style TIME_SOURCE fill:#1565C0
style SYSTEMS fill:#4CAF50
style MONITORING fill:#FFC107
| System Type | Time Source | Protocol | Sync Frequency | Max Drift Allowed | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Lambda | AWS-managed | N/A (managed) | Continuous | N/A (AWS-managed) | Automatic |
| AWS RDS | AWS-managed | N/A (managed) | Continuous | N/A (AWS-managed) | Automatic |
| AWS WorkMail | AWS-managed | N/A (managed) | Continuous | N/A (AWS-managed) | Automatic |
| CloudWatch Logs | UTC internal | N/A (managed) | Continuous | N/A (AWS-managed) | Automatic |
| EC2 Instances (if deployed) | AWS NTP + backup | NTP/chrony | Every 60 seconds | ±1 second | CloudWatch metric |
| Mobile Devices | OS native time sync | NTP/HTTPS | Device-managed | ±5 seconds | MDM verification |
| Developer Workstations | OS native time sync | NTP | OS-managed | ±10 seconds | Manual verification |
For any EC2 instances or on-premise systems (when applicable):
Primary Time Source:
- AWS NTP:
169.254.169.123(link-local VPC address) - Priority: Highest (stratum 1 equivalent)
- Authentication: Not required (VPC-local)
Backup Time Sources:
- Public NTP Pool:
pool.ntp.org - Regional Pool:
se.pool.ntp.org(Sweden) - Authentication: NTP authentication keys where supported
Security Measures:
- Firewall Rules: Outbound UDP 123 only to trusted NTP servers
- Access Control: No inbound NTP queries accepted (clients only)
- Monitoring: Failed sync attempts trigger security alerts
- Rate Limiting: Maximum 10 NTP queries per minute per instance
All security-relevant logs use consistent time standards:
| Log Source | Timestamp Format | Time Zone | Resolution | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CloudTrail | ISO 8601 | UTC | Millisecond | 3 years |
| VPC Flow Logs | Unix epoch | UTC | Second | 90 days |
| CloudWatch Logs | ISO 8601 | UTC | Millisecond | Per log group (1-365 days) |
| GuardDuty Findings | ISO 8601 | UTC | Millisecond | 90 days in service, archived 3 years |
| Application Logs | ISO 8601 | UTC | Millisecond | 90 days |
| Access Logs | ISO 8601 | UTC | Second | 3 years |
UTC Standardization: All logs use UTC to ensure accurate cross-system correlation regardless of geographic location or daylight saving time changes.
For EC2 instances (when applicable):
| Metric Name | Namespace | Statistic | Alert Threshold | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
TimeOffset |
Custom/NTP | Average | >1 second | Warning alert |
TimeOffset |
Custom/NTP | Average | >5 seconds | Critical alert + auto-remediation |
NTPSyncFailures |
Custom/NTP | Sum | >3 failures/hour | Investigation required |
LastSuccessfulSync |
Custom/NTP | Age | >5 minutes | Service health check failure |
Automated Checks:
- Daily: CloudWatch scheduled Lambda validates EC2 time sync (if applicable)
- Continuous: AWS-managed services automatically maintain time accuracy
- Post-Incident: Time correlation verification during security incident analysis
Manual Verification:
- Quarterly: Manual time verification across all system types
- Change Window: Time validation before/after system maintenance
- Audit: Annual time integrity audit for compliance verification
Accurate time synchronization enables:
- Cross-System Event Correlation: Linking events across CloudTrail, GuardDuty, VPC Flow Logs, application logs
- Attack Timeline Reconstruction: Accurate sequencing of attacker actions
- Forensic Analysis: Legal defensibility of log evidence
- Compliance Reporting: Accurate incident timing for regulatory requirements (GDPR 72-hour breach notification)
Implementation: Per Incident Response Plan § Evidence Collection, time correlation is critical for forensic investigation.
| Regulation/Standard | Time Synchronization Requirement | Hack23 Implementation |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 27001 A.8.17 | Synchronized clocks for logging systems | ✅ AWS NTP + UTC logging |
| CIS Control 8.4 | Standardize time sources | ✅ AWS-managed + NTP pool |
| NIST CSF DE.CM-01 | Time integrity for monitoring | ✅ Millisecond precision logs |
| GDPR Art. 33 | Accurate breach timing | ✅ UTC timestamps for 72hr calculation |
| NIS2 (upcoming) | Incident timestamp accuracy | ✅ Comprehensive time logging |
For EC2 Instances:
-
Check NTP Service Status:
# Amazon Linux 2023 (chrony) sudo systemctl status chronyd sudo chronyc tracking sudo chronyc sources -
Validate Time Offset:
timedatectl status
-
Force Immediate Sync:
sudo chronyd -q 'server 169.254.169.123 iburst' -
Review NTP Logs:
sudo journalctl -u chronyd --since "1 hour ago"
For AWS-Managed Services:
- No troubleshooting required - AWS maintains time synchronization automatically
- Time accuracy is part of AWS shared responsibility model
Prohibited Actions:
- Manual time changes on production systems (AWS-managed services prevent this)
- Disabling time synchronization services
- Using untrusted NTP sources
Approved Changes:
- Time zone configuration for display purposes only (logs always UTC)
- NTP server configuration updates via approved change management process
- Time sync monitoring threshold adjustments via Change Management
Time Source Redundancy:
- Primary: AWS NTP service (highly available within VPC)
- Secondary: Public NTP pool (internet connectivity)
- Tertiary: Regional NTP pool (se.pool.ntp.org)
Failure Scenarios:
- AWS NTP Unavailable: Automatic fallback to public NTP pool
- All External NTP Unavailable: Systems maintain last known good time (hardware clock)
- Time Drift Detected: Automated alerts trigger investigation within 1 hour
Recovery Procedures: Per Disaster Recovery Plan, time synchronization is validated as part of system recovery verification.
Framework Coverage Summary:
VPC architecture and Asset Register references
Zero-trust architecture with defense-in-depth
Route 53 Resolver DNS Firewall implementation
WAF rules, security groups, and firewall configurations
VPC endpoints, private connectivity controls
Cloud-native (no wireless infrastructure)
Infrastructure as Code practices
Asset Register integration
CloudWatch, GuardDuty, Security Hub
AWS WAF with OWASP rule sets
GuardDuty threat intelligence
VPC Flow Logs, behavior analysis
Automated response via Lambda functions
Route 53 query logs with anomaly detection
AWS native security services implementation
Continuous improvement and threat intelligence integration
📝 Note: ISO 27001:2022 renumbered network controls from A.13.x to A.8.x. This document references legacy A.13.x for compatibility with older documentation.
Comprehensive network architecture with segmentation
Service-specific security controls
Multi-tier architecture (DMZ, Application, Data)
Data classification-driven controls
Third-party management integration
Email security (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MTA-STS)
Supplier data sharing matrix
- 🎯 Information Security Strategy — AI-first operations, Pentagon framework, and strategic direction
- 🔐 Information Security Policy — Overall security governance and AI-First Operations Governance
- 🤖 AI Policy — AI agent governance for network security automation
- 🏷️ Classification Framework — Network impact analysis and classification
- 🔑 Access Control Policy — Network access controls and identity management
- 🔒 Cryptography Policy — Network encryption standards and key management
- 🏷️ Data Classification Policy — Network-based data protection requirements
- 📝 Change Management - Network configuration change procedures
- 🔍 Vulnerability Management - Network security testing and remediation
- 🤝 Third Party Management - Network supplier risk management
- 🚨 Incident Response Plan - Network security incident handling procedures
- 🔄 Business Continuity Plan - Network resilience during business disruption
- 🆘 Disaster Recovery Plan - Network infrastructure recovery procedures
- 💾 Backup Recovery Policy - Network configuration backup and restoration
- 💻 Asset Register - Network infrastructure inventory and management
- 📉 Risk Register - Network-related risk identification and treatment
- 📊 Security Metrics - Network security performance measurement
- 🏷️ Classification Framework - Network impact analysis and classification
📋 Document Control:
✅ Approved by: James Pether Sörling, CEO
📤 Distribution: Public
🏷️ Classification:
📅 Effective Date: 2026-01-25
⏰ Next Review: 2027-01-25
🎯 Framework Compliance: