Block lists are everywhere. We use them on Facebook and in our e-mail to limit unwanted contact or to filter spam. We also use them in cybersecurity software to stop malware from acting on our computers. The block list says clearly what isn’t allowed – it limits accessibility. A trust list, on the other hand, does the opposite. Instead of being a list of what can’t happen, it’s a list of what can, and anything not on the trust list is blocked.
In TXOne Networks’ solutions, trust lists are used as a cornerstone of cyber defense. In an endpoint, a trust list can determine what applications are allowed to run. This allows our end-point focused solution Safe Lock, which is designed for fixed-use systems, to secure assets while maximizing their functionality and simplifying their defense. With software like Safe Lock, connection to the internet is unnecessary and updates are rare. This solution was perfected for use on legacy systems.
In network defense, our Edge series (EdgeFire, EdgeIPS, EdgeIPS Pro) leverages trust lists to support “zero trust”-style network architecture and to ironclad the defenses of network segmentation by granting accessibility privileges only on the basis of ‘need’. We call it zero trust because all users and devices are assumed untrustworthy until the system operator chooses otherwise, as opposed to the flat and open network architecture of the past. Privileges can be customized in fine detail with Edge series trust lists, including using their special sensitivity to ICS protocols to limit unusual behaviors or to apply specialized privileges (such as read-only access) to different users.
As an alternative to block lists, trust lists offer more flexible countermeasures for endpoints, prioritizing daily processes and work site availability. Meanwhile, in network protection, they allow for fine-tuned zero trust policies, making the system extremely unwelcoming to intruders. Intruders leveraging an “unknown attack”, or previously undiscovered vulnerability, can be an extremely difficult threat to counter, but by using trust lists to leverage zero trust-based policies we can significantly limit the viability of even the most critical vulnerabilities.
