Stealth Mode SDP for Zero Trust Network Infrastructure
Introducing the Network-Infrastructure Hiding Protocol (NHP)
Released: 02/03/2026
Traditional TCP/IP networking was designed for openness, not adversarial environments. This default visibility has become a critical liability in an era of machine-speed attacks and AI-powered scanning. This publication from the CSA Zero Trust Working Group addresses this challenge by introducing the Network-Infrastructure Hiding Protocol (NHP).
The NHP protects modern network environments against reconnaissance, automated exploitation, and AI-driven cyber threats. Building on Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP) and Single-Packet Authorization (SPA), NHP represents the third generation of network hiding, specifically designed for today’s cloud-native, hybrid, and multi-cloud infrastructures.
The NHP enforces an authenticate-before-connect model that renders network resources completely invisible until verification of IAM policies. By shifting from a default-open to a default-deny posture at the session layer, NHP assists with attack surface reduction and prevents unauthorized access before exploitation can occur. Download the publication to learn how you can achieve stronger protection while improving scalability, reliability, and performance.
Key Takeaways:
- Why default network visibility is incompatible with modern Zero Trust security
- How NHP acts as a next-generation evolution of SPA within the SDP framework
- How network hiding reduces the attack surface and blocks AI-driven reconnaissance
- How to integrate NHP with SDP, DNS security, and FIDO authentication
- How to deploy NHP in cloud, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments
Download this Resource
Best For:
- Security architects
- Network architects
- Cloud security engineers
- Infrastructure and platform engineers
- SOC and threat detection teams
