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BlastShield Documentation

Security

This section provides a description of the security aspects of the BlastShield™ secure network.

BlastShield™ is an in-line IP sub-network within an open IP network that creates a zero-trust protective shield around critical infrastructure assets and data by rendering them undetectable by modern network scanning and traffic analysis tools.A BlastShield network consists of multiple nodes, a node being either a user, Gateway or Agent where each of which is configured for secure, encrypted communication of data over a general network.  Each node can automatically discover the presence of the other nodes, determine data communication routes to the other nodes, and establish point-to-point encrypted tunnels between themselves and selected other nodes.  The nodes and protected devices are thus organized as a mesh such that the protected devices are undetectable and un-addressable via the general network by entities external to the mesh.

BlastShield™ uses several different security techniques and these are summarized below.  They are described more fully in the rest of the document

  • Users, sessions and devices are identified and authenticated using a public-private key-pairs.

  • Traffic between nodes is encrypted using AES-256-GCM encryption.

  • No passwords are used in any part of the system.

  • Protected end-devices can be rendered un-addressable by unauthorised entities and hence invisible.

  • The network supports self-opening of connections through NAT devices, which minimises the attack surface.  No inbound ports are required to be opened on the firewall.