3.1 SD-WAN Security Overview
| Field |
Value |
| Document Title |
SD-WAN Security Architecture Overview |
| Version |
1.0 |
| Author |
Network Security Team |
| Organization |
Abhavtech.com |
| Last Updated |
December 2025 |
| Status |
Production |
Table of Contents
- Security Architecture Overview
- Security Principles
- Threat Landscape
- Defense-in-Depth Model
- Security Components
- Security Governance
1. Security Architecture Overview
1.1 SD-WAN Security Philosophy
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN implements a comprehensive security architecture built on zero-trust principles, encryption by default, and layered defense mechanisms.
Security Architecture Pillars:
- Encrypted transport (IPsec by default)
- Identity-based access control
- Network segmentation
- Integrated threat detection
- Centralized policy management
- Continuous monitoring and compliance
1.2 Security Architecture Diagram
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SD-WAN SECURITY ARCHITECTURE |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Layer 7: Security Operations |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | SIEM Integration | SOC Dashboards | Incident Response | Audit | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
| Layer 6: Threat Intelligence |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | Talos Feeds | Umbrella | Third-Party TI | Custom IoCs | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
| Layer 5: Application Security |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | DPI | App Firewall | UTD/IPS | URL Filter | DNS Security | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
| Layer 4: Network Segmentation |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | VPN Segmentation | SGT/TrustSec | Zone-Based FW | ACLs | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
| Layer 3: Data Plane Security |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | IPsec Tunnels | AES-256-GCM | Key Management | Anti-Replay | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
| Layer 2: Control Plane Security |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | TLS 1.3 | Certificate Auth | Controller Auth | OMP Security | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
| Layer 1: Infrastructure Security |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | Hardware Trust | Secure Boot | Hardened OS | Access Control | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
1.3 Security Scope
| Domain |
Coverage |
Components |
| Control Plane |
Controller-to-edge communications |
TLS, certificates, OMP |
| Data Plane |
Site-to-site tunnel encryption |
IPsec, key rotation |
| Management Plane |
Administrative access |
RBAC, MFA, audit logs |
| Application Layer |
Traffic inspection |
UTD, IPS, URL filter |
| Integration |
Campus/Cloud security |
SGT, ISE, SASE |
2. Security Principles
2.1 Zero Trust Architecture
Zero Trust Principles Applied:
| Principle |
SD-WAN Implementation |
| Never trust, always verify |
Certificate-based device authentication |
| Least privilege access |
Role-based VPN access, SGT policies |
| Assume breach |
Segmentation, micro-perimeters |
| Verify explicitly |
Continuous authentication, posture checks |
| Secure all paths |
Encryption everywhere, no implicit trust |
2.2 Defense in Depth
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| DEFENSE IN DEPTH MODEL |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| External Perimeter |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | DDoS Protection | Rate Limiting | Geo-Blocking | IP Reputation| |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | |
| v |
| Network Perimeter |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | Zone-Based Firewall | ACLs | Stateful Inspection | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | |
| v |
| Internal Segmentation |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | VPN Separation | VRF Isolation | SGT Enforcement | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | |
| v |
| Application Security |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | UTD IPS/IDS | URL Filtering | Malware Protection | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | |
| v |
| Data Protection |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | Encryption | DLP | Access Control | Audit | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
2.3 Security Design Principles
| Principle |
Description |
Implementation |
| Encryption by Default |
All WAN traffic encrypted |
IPsec AES-256-GCM |
| Centralized Policy |
Consistent security across sites |
vManage templates |
| Visibility |
Complete traffic insight |
DPI, NetFlow, logs |
| Automation |
Rapid response to threats |
Automated remediation |
| Compliance |
Meet regulatory requirements |
Built-in controls |
3. Threat Landscape
3.1 Threat Categories
| Threat Category |
Examples |
Risk Level |
| External Attacks |
DDoS, exploitation, scanning |
High |
| Insider Threats |
Data exfiltration, privilege abuse |
High |
| Malware |
Ransomware, trojans, spyware |
Critical |
| Man-in-the-Middle |
Traffic interception, spoofing |
High |
| Denial of Service |
Resource exhaustion, flooding |
Medium |
| Data Breaches |
Unauthorized access, leakage |
Critical |
3.2 Attack Vectors
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ATTACK VECTOR ANALYSIS |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Internet-Facing Attack Vectors: |
| +---------------------+ +---------------------+ |
| | DIA Breakout Points | | Cloud Gateways | |
| | - Port scanning | | - API attacks | |
| | - Exploitation | | - Credential theft | |
| | - DDoS | | - Cloud misconfig | |
| +---------------------+ +---------------------+ |
| |
| WAN Attack Vectors: |
| +---------------------+ +---------------------+ |
| | Transport Links | | Remote Workers | |
| | - Traffic analysis | | - Compromised devs | |
| | - Injection attacks | | - Credential theft | |
| | - Link manipulation | | - Phishing | |
| +---------------------+ +---------------------+ |
| |
| Internal Attack Vectors: |
| +---------------------+ +---------------------+ |
| | Lateral Movement | | Privilege Escalation| |
| | - Inter-VPN attacks | | - Admin compromise | |
| | - East-west traffic | | - Policy bypass | |
| | - Pivot attacks | | - Config tampering | |
| +---------------------+ +---------------------+ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
3.3 Threat Mitigation Summary
| Threat |
Mitigation Control |
SD-WAN Feature |
| Eavesdropping |
Encryption |
IPsec AES-256-GCM |
| Spoofing |
Authentication |
Certificates, IKEv2 |
| Tampering |
Integrity checks |
HMAC-SHA-256 |
| DoS |
Rate limiting |
Control policies |
| Lateral movement |
Segmentation |
VPN isolation, SGT |
| Malware |
Threat detection |
UTD Snort 3.0 |
| Data exfiltration |
DLP |
URL filtering, DPI |
4. Defense-in-Depth Model
4.1 Security Layers for Abhavtech
| Layer |
Function |
Technologies |
| Perimeter |
External threat prevention |
Zone FW, ACLs, DDoS |
| Network |
Traffic security |
IPsec, VPN isolation |
| Segment |
Micro-segmentation |
SGT, VRF separation |
| Application |
Content inspection |
UTD, URL filter |
| Endpoint |
Device security |
Posture, compliance |
| Data |
Information protection |
Encryption, DLP |
| Identity |
Access control |
ISE, MFA, RBAC |
4.2 Security Zone Model
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SECURITY ZONE ARCHITECTURE |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| UNTRUSTED (Internet) |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | Public Internet | Cloud Services | Third-Party Networks | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | Firewall + IPS + URL Filter |
| v |
| DMZ (Semi-Trusted) |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | Public Services | VPN Termination | Proxy Services | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | Zone-Based Firewall |
| v |
| CORPORATE (Trusted) |
| +-------------------------------+-------------------------------+ |
| | Employee_VPN (SGT 3) | Guest_VPN (SGT 4) | |
| | - Full corporate access | - Internet only | |
| +-------------------------------+-------------------------------+ |
| | IoT_VPN (SGT 7-8) | Voice_VPN (SGT 9) | |
| | - Limited cloud access | - Voice services only | |
| +-------------------------------+-------------------------------+ |
| | Strict ACLs |
| v |
| RESTRICTED (High Security) |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | Management_VPN (512) | PCI Zone (SGT 12) | Executive (SGT 10) | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
5. Security Components
5.1 Security Feature Matrix
| Feature |
Description |
Deployment |
License |
| IPsec VPN |
Tunnel encryption |
All edges |
Base |
| Zone-Based FW |
Stateful firewall |
All edges |
Base |
| UTD IPS/IDS |
Threat detection |
Hub edges |
Advantage |
| URL Filtering |
Web security |
All edges |
Advantage |
| DNS Security |
Umbrella integration |
All edges |
Umbrella |
| SGT/TrustSec |
Identity segmentation |
All edges |
Advantage |
| DDoS Protection |
Rate limiting |
Internet edges |
Base |
| SSL Inspection |
Encrypted traffic inspection |
Select edges |
Premier |
5.2 Security Component Deployment
| Site Type |
Zone FW |
UTD |
URL Filter |
DDoS |
SGT |
| Mumbai DC |
✅ |
✅ Full |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Chennai DR |
✅ |
✅ Full |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Bangalore |
✅ |
✅ Basic |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Delhi |
✅ |
✅ Basic |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Noida |
✅ |
❌ |
✅ DNS |
✅ |
✅ |
| London |
✅ |
✅ Full |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Frankfurt |
✅ |
✅ Basic |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| New Jersey |
✅ |
✅ Full |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Dallas |
✅ |
✅ Basic |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
6. Security Governance
6.1 Security Responsibilities
| Role |
Responsibilities |
| Security Architect |
Design, policy definition, compliance |
| Network Operations |
Implementation, monitoring |
| Security Operations |
Incident response, threat hunting |
| Compliance Team |
Audits, regulatory alignment |
| Management |
Risk acceptance, resource allocation |
6.2 Security Review Cadence
| Review Type |
Frequency |
Scope |
| Policy Review |
Quarterly |
All security policies |
| Vulnerability Scan |
Monthly |
All WAN edges |
| Penetration Test |
Annual |
Full infrastructure |
| Compliance Audit |
Annual |
PCI, SOC2, ISO27001 |
| Incident Review |
Per incident |
Lessons learned |
6.3 Security Metrics
| Metric |
Target |
Measurement |
| Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) |
<15 minutes |
Security events |
| Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) |
<1 hour |
Incident resolution |
| Encryption Coverage |
100% |
All WAN traffic |
| Policy Compliance |
>98% |
Automated checks |
| Vulnerability Remediation |
<30 days |
Critical/High CVEs |
Summary
The SD-WAN security architecture for Abhavtech implements a comprehensive, layered defense model with zero-trust principles applied throughout.
Key Security Highlights:
- Encryption by default (AES-256-GCM)
- Seven-layer defense-in-depth model
- Zero-trust network access
- Integrated threat detection (UTD)
- End-to-end SGT propagation
- Centralized policy management
Next Section: 3.2 Control Plane Security
Document Version: 1.0
Last Updated: December 2025
Classification: Internal Use