Air-Gapped Isolation


  • Some hosts are so security-critical that it is unsafe to connect them to any type of network
    • e.g.,
      • root certification authority in PKI
      • host used to analyze malware execution

Air-gapped is a type of network isolation that physically separates a host from other hosts or a network from all other networks.

  • possible to configure an air-gapped network
    • means that hosts within the air-gapped network can communicate
    • but there is no connection to any other network
    • used by military, government, industrial facilities, etc.
  • incurs significant management challenges
    • Device administration has to be performed at a local terminal
    • updates or installs have to be performed using USB or optical media
      • media is a potential attack vector
        • must be scanned before use