Lateral movement is involved in up to 70% of breaches. Learn how to contain this hidden threat with segmentation, Zero Trust, and Cisco Secure Workload powered by insights from Cisco’s Jason Maynard.
Cybersecurity is a constant game of cat and mouse
As defenders evolve, attackers often move faster and more creatively. And while many organisations have invested in endpoint protection, firewalls, MFA, and incident response, one tactic continues to slip through the cracks: lateral movement.
According to Cisco, lateral movement is leveraged in up to 70% of cyber breaches.
What is lateral movement and why does it matter?
Once attackers gain initial access to a system, they rarely stop there. They move sideways; across networks, workloads, and applications, to find sensitive data, escalate privileges, and deepen their foothold. This tactic, known as lateral movement, is often the turning point between a minor incident and a full-blown breach.
Even organisations following best practices, like NIST frameworks, layered defenses, and mature IR processes, can fall victim because lateral movement exploits the gaps between those layers.
As highlighted by Jason Maynard, Director of Security Product Marketing at Cisco, many breached organisations had solid security foundations but underestimated the adversary’s ability to navigate around them.
The defensive opportunity: segment and assume breach
To counter lateral movement, Cisco recommends a mindset shift: assume breach. This means building defensive armor to limit what attackers can do on the inside.
Here’s how partners can help clients to strengthen their posture:
- Implement segmentation at the network, workload, and application level
- Use technologies like Cisco Secure Workload, Cisco TrustSec, and Cisco Secure Firewall
- Introduce controls without disrupting production
- Focus on prescriptive defenses rather than broad, reactive ones
By restricting lateral movement, organisations can dramatically reduce the impact of a breach.
What this means for TD SYNNEX partners
This is a prime opportunity for our partners to lead the conversation around microsegmentation, Zero Trust, and assume breach strategies. With Cisco’s portfolio and TD SYNNEX’s enablement, you can help your clients to:
- Identify lateral movement risks
- Design segmentation strategies tailored to their environments
- Deploy scalable, integrated solutions that reduce complexity
Whether through Cisco Secure Workload or TrustSec, you have the tools to turn vulnerability into strength.
Let’s take away the greatest advantage of cyber attacks
TD SYNNEX helps you to uncover your next Cisco Security business opportunity guided by market insights and powered by innovation. Choose Cisco, the leading security provider, and partner with TD SYNNEX, Cisco’s preferred distributor.
