A growing number of high-profile cyber incidents have exposed a common weakness in enterprise remote access: the reliance on IP-based connectivity. From large-scale VPN compromises to breaches involving government systems, attackers have repeatedly exploited this architectural layer to gain access to internal networks and exfiltrate data.
Israeli cybersecurity startup ZeroPort believes the problem is fundamental—and that software alone cannot fix it. This week, the company outlined how its hardware-based approach is designed to make remote access breaches “physically impossible” by removing IP communication from the equation altogether.
Rethinking remote access at the hardware layer
Most remote access technologies, including VPNs and secure gateways, depend on IP traffic flowing in and out of enterprise networks. According to ZeroPort, that design choice creates an unavoidable attack surface—one that has been exploited even in environments run by national cyber defence agencies.
ZeroPort’s Fantom platform takes a different route. Instead of relying on IP packets, it places a physical device at the network boundary that strictly limits what can pass through. Inbound traffic is reduced to human interaction signals—such as keyboard and mouse input—while outbound traffic is restricted to pixel streams. No traditional data packets are allowed to enter or leave the network.
The company says this effectively eliminates the attack vector used by malware and ransomware to move laterally or extract sensitive data. The approach is protected by four patents and is positioned as a structural alternative to VPNs rather than an incremental improvement on them.
Early traction in sensitive environments
While the concept is unconventional, ZeroPort points to early enterprise deployments as proof of viability. One systems integrator, the company claims, was able to eliminate around $5 million in annual travel costs by enabling secure remote maintenance for systems that previously required on-site access due to security concerns.
The startup says it is already working with organisations in critical infrastructure, utilities, financial services and government sectors—areas where remote access is essential but tightly regulated. Additional validation has come from Singapore’s government-backed CyberBoost Catalyse, which supports technologies aimed at strengthening national cyber resilience.
Roots in military intelligence
ZeroPort’s founding team traces the idea back to operational gaps they observed during reserve duty in IDF Unit 81, an elite technology and intelligence unit within the Israeli Defence Forces.
CEO Joseph Gertz brings more than 15 years of business leadership experience, while CTO Lavi Friedman and COO Rotem Kalmi both served in Unit 81. The team argues that decades of trying to harden IP-based remote access has shown diminishing returns.
“For 40 years, organisations have been forced to choose between staying offline or allowing remote connections through vulnerable systems,” Gertz said. “Our hardware-based approach shows there is a third option—one that protects critical assets without sacrificing operational efficiency.”
Funding and expansion plans
To scale beyond Israel, ZeroPort has raised $10 million in seed funding. The round was led by lool ventures, with participation from Clarim Ventures, CyberFuture, and Fusion Fund. CyberFuture is backed by Elron Ventures and includes CISOs from large enterprises such as Siemens Energy.
The company plans to use the funding to expand into North America and the Asia-Pacific region, while growing its headcount from 25 to around 40 employees over the next year.
As organisations reassess remote access in the wake of repeated VPN-related breaches, ZeroPort’s bet is that security teams may be ready to consider more radical architectural changes—especially in environments where the cost of compromise is simply too high.