Network Segmentation Projects Fail In Predictable Patterns
HelpNet Security, Wednesday, April 15th, 2026
SSLv3 support has been removed. The protocol was deprecated in 2015, and OpenSSL had it disabled by default since version 1.1.0 in 2016. Support for the SSLv2 Client Hello has also been removed. The engine API, which provided a mechanism for integrating external cryptographic hardware and software implementations, has been removed entirely.
The research, conducted in early 2026, applied latent class analysis to survey responses measuring both general IT project failure factors and segmentation-specific technical barriers.
Four failure archetypes
Half of respondents (50.2%) fell into the category the paper calls Perfect Storm. In these projects, general IT project management problems and segmentation-specific technical challenges occurred simultaneously across the board. Goals were unclear, leadership sponsorship was weak, scope crept, timelines were unrealistic, and the environment itself was complex, poorly understood, and difficult to segment without disrupting production systems. Every factor contributed.