What Is Zero Trust?

Zero trust is a cybersecurity concept and framework that assumes that all users, devices, and systems are potentially compromised, whether inside or outside of a local network, a cloud environment, or a combination.

In a zero trust environment, all network traffic is treated as untrusted and must be authorized, verified, and authenticated before access is granted. Zero trust is implemented through a variety of mechanisms, including identity, device, and network security and continuous monitoring and assessment of systems and policies.

The goal of zero trust is to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to resources by implementing a strategy that goes beyond traditional perimeter-based approaches, which involve security measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection, and prevention systems that act like security checkpoints, similar to walls and doors used to protect physical perimeters.

The five pillars of zero trust

When implementing a zero trust model, security teams should plan around the five pillars of zero trust. Each requires an adaptive approach, with continuous assessments and updates of the zero trust policies that protect them.

• Identity: Identity refers to the collection of data that represents an online entity. Through zero trust, organizations are required to verify the digital identities of users, devices, and applications prior to granting them network access by using strong authentication and validation mechanisms.
• Device: Through zero trust, companies are required to check all devices before providing them access to the network or resources—compiling a list of all individual devices being used within the network and ensuring their proper functioning.
• Network: Segmenting an organization’s network mitigates implicit trust and prevents bad actors from carrying out lateral movement and accessing sensitive data in the event of an identity breach. Segmentations are determined based on types of data and which individuals have access to them. User access is limited specifically to the resources necessary for carrying out job functions, ensuring that users cannot access networks that are not within their segment.
• Applications and workload: Similar to human users, applications also need access to sensitive systems and data to carry out their functions, and this access should be limited as much as possible. This can be done through close monitoring to prevent unauthorized access and regular audits that ensure applications are up to date with the latest security updates, to prevent bad actors from exploiting security vulnerabilities.
• Data: Companies need to identify and classify data based on its sensitivity and how valuable it is. They can better safeguard sensitive information by limiting access, giving users who need access to this data the minimum necessary privileges needed to carry out their job functions. When managing data access, organizations should follow the principle of** ** least privilege.

Why is zero trust important?

Zero trust is important for several reasons, including:

1. Protection against cyber threats: With zero trust, all agencies and accounts are treated as untrusted and must be authenticated as a trusted body before being granted access. This protects against cyber threats such as malware, phishing, and data breaches by making it more difficult for attackers to gain unauthorized access to resources.
2. Compliance with regulations: Many regulations, such as HIPAA and GDPR, require organizations to protect personal and financial information and enforce strict access controls. Zero trust can help organizations comply with these regulations by implementing security measures that go beyond the traditional perimeter-based security approach.
3. Improved security for a remote world: With the increasing number of remote workers, traditional perimeter-based security solutions are becoming obsolete. Zero trust can help organizations secure remote access through the use of a comprehensive security strategy that includes multi-factor and FIDO-based authentication and network segmentation.
4. Improved operational efficiency: A zero trust strategy can help organizations improve operational efficiency through automation and streamlining of access control and identity management processes that reduce the risk of human error and improve overall security.
5. Reducing the attack surface: With the zero trust approach, organizations can reduce the attack surface by limiting access only to what is strictly necessary.

Zero trust helps organizations protect against cyber threats, comply with regulations, secure access, improve operational efficiency, and reduce their attack surface. The concept is becoming more relevant as the threat landscape continues to change and organizations require more robust security controls to protect sensitive data.

How are zero trust and least privilege related?

Zero trust and least privilege access are closely related concepts. The zero trust security model assumes that all users and devices are untrusted to ensure that only the correct, authenticated users can access devices and information. Least privilege is a security principle that states that a user or program should have only the minimum level of access necessary to perform its intended function.

In a zero trust model, least privilege access is implemented as a way to ensure that users and devices are only granted the access to resources they need to do their jobs and no more, regardless of their location or device. This limits the potential damage that can be caused by a security breach or by a user or device with malicious intent. By implementing least privilege access in a zero trust model, organizations can improve their overall security posture and reduce the risk of a successful cyber attack.

Zero trust implementation

The most common ways to implement zero trust architecture include:

1. Identity security: Least privilege access controls that give users the minimum permissions they need to do their job, multi-factor authentication, and identity and access management (IAM) systems can all help to strengthen security using zero trust ideology.
2. Network security: Network segmentation can be used to isolate sensitive resources and restrict access to them. This can help prevent attackers from moving laterally through the network and accessing sensitive data.
3. Device trust: Implementing device profiling, device posture assessment, and device quarantine mechanisms helps ensure that all devices that access the network are trusted and secure.
4. Micro-segmentation: Micro-segmentation can be used to create granular security policies that apply to specific users, devices, or apps to reduce the attack surface and improve security.
5. Continuous monitoring and assessment: Regularly monitor and assess the system for any suspicious activity, misconfigurations, or compliance issues.
6. Regularly review and update access policies: Security measures need to be able to adapt to the ever-evolving threat landscape, so policies and controls should be periodically reviewed and updated.

Zero trust is not a one-time implementation but a continuous effort to adapt to the organization’s needs. It’s important to involve all the stakeholders and have a clear understanding of the organization’s assets, data flow, and access requirements to implement a zero trust model effectively and consistently.

Summary

Zero trust is based on the principle of “never trust, always verify” to promote the security of sensitive information and resources. This model can help prevent vulnerabilities and keep organizations up to date with compliance regulations mandated by frameworks such as NIST and SOC2. Zero trust principles are always evolving and can be applied through identity security, network security, device trust, cloud security and continued monitoring and review of the systems (cloud, on-premises, homegrown) in place.