Information systems may be protected by borders that separate internal assets from external assets. E.g. a firewall separates external world from internal assets. Borders are important defence elements where external attackers may be prevented from reaching internal assets. We need to identify zones, and connections between zones (aka interconnections)

Zone

A zone refers to a collection of assets that manage some information. It's crucial to safeguard the flow of information between zones to prevent unauthorized access or the transmission of malicious code.

Connection between zones

The interconnection between zones is facilitated by a set of devices designed to furnish comprehensive protection services for the information exchanges between the interconnected zones. Borders regulate information ingress and egress.

When the CIS includes interconnection assets (e.g. a firewall), PILAR valuates a set of safeguards to protect the border:

The protecting safeguards are organized into 2 levels:

·       Effective level (umbrellas), where measures maturity is evaluated, and used to mitigate border threats.

·       Documentation level (green circles), where items are presented (and may be valuated) to explain the value assigned to the encompassing effective row. These values are NOT used for risk mitigation. It is relevant information to understand the assignment of a maturity level to the risk mitigating safeguards.