Security and edge on a network diagram
The things that sit in front of something else and check what is trying to reach it.
11 objects in this group, each named in plain English with the technical terms kept as searchable aliases. 11 of them carry attack notes, and every one of those ships beside the defences that reduce it. Each has an entry of its own.
Firewall
NGFW · packet filter
Decides which connections are allowed between two networks.
Web app shield
WAF · web application firewall
Checks visits to your website and blocks the ones that look like an attack.
Outbound web filter
forward proxy · secure web gateway · SWG · web filter · web proxy
Checks and records everything staff and servers send out to the internet.
Traffic splitter
load balancer · LB · ADC
Spreads incoming requests across several servers.
Global content cache
CDN · content delivery network · edge cache
Copies your content to servers worldwide so pages load faster.
API front door
API gateway
One controlled entrance for the automatic requests other software makes of yours, without a person involved.
Endpoint protection
EDR · antivirus · AV · XDR
Software on each computer watching for hostile behaviour.
Log collector
SIEM · log server · syslog
Collects the records of what happened, from every computer and system, into one place.
Secrets store
vault · secrets manager · credential store · password safe
The safe where passwords, keys and certificates are kept.
Encryption key service
KMS · key management service · key vault · HSM · customer-managed key
The service that holds the keys used to scramble stored data, and decides who may use them.
Cloud activity record
CloudTrail · activity log · control plane log · audit trail
The provider's own record of every change made to the cloud, and of who made it.
The other groups
- Network6The paths traffic travels along.
- Wireless and radio11The parts of the network that travel through the air, and how far they reach.
- Cloud and subscribed services12Things that only exist because somebody else runs the platform underneath them.
- Servers13Machines that run something for other machines.
- Storage4Where data sits still.
- Endpoints and devices8The things people and processes touch directly.
- Identity6Who something claims to be, and what proves it.
- People and organisations4The humans and the entities they belong to.
- Places3Physical locations and regions.
- Process flow7Shapes for describing a procedure rather than a network.
- Threats15The adversary and the things they bring.
Draw it rather than read it
Every object above is in the editor. Press N, type a few letters of the plain name or the acronym, and it is placed and connected to whatever was selected. Nothing is uploaded, because the page is served with a Content Security Policy that forbids the browser from making any outbound request at all.
Open the diagram makerThe catalogue behind this page is published as open data under CC BY 4.0, last reviewed . Every attack note describes a mechanism and contains no procedure. Corrections are welcome.