What is Zero Trust Security?

• Zero Trust Definition

  Zero Trust Definition

  Zero Trust, a strategic, architectural approach to network security, is based on the notion that every user, device, or system trying to access a network is a potential threat, whether inside or outside the organization's security perimeter. Devised by analyst John Kindervag, this modern security concept works on the principle of "never trust, always verify." It requires organizations not to trust anyone and instead authenticate and authorize every access request to their applications and data.
• How does Zero Trust work?

  How does Zero Trust work?

  The Zero Trust model goes beyond the traditional perimeter-based network security approach. Traditionally, every user and device inside an organization's network is considered reliable, and everyone outside is deemed unreliable. This approach cannot stop an attacker's lateral movement after they access the company’s network. It also discounts the fact that distributed workloads spread across on-premises and cloud increase the challenges of setting up  single security controls for the entire network.

  Zero Trust model resolves the challenges of the traditional security approach with security techniques, such as strict identity verification, micro-segmentation, and least privilege access. This added layer of security helps organizations securely embrace hybrid infrastructure and achieve compliance with various information security standards, such as HIPAA, FISMA, and PCI DSS. Zero Trust prioritizes data security, such as payment card information (PCI), intellectual property (IP), and protected health information (PHI).
• History and Evolution of the Zero Trust Security Model

  History and Evolution of the Zero Trust Security Model

  The Zero Trust security model emerged in response to the evolving threat landscape and the limitations of traditional perimeter-based security approaches. Coined by Research Analyst John Kindervag in 2010, zero-trust is rooted in the principle that no user or device should be trusted by default, regardless of whether they are inside or outside the network perimeter. This shift was driven by the increasing prevalence of sophisticated cyberattacks, the rise of cloud computing, and the proliferation of mobile devices, which made it difficult to define a clear network boundary. The traditional model, which assumed everything inside the network was safe, became increasingly vulnerable to insider threats and breaches which exploited trusted connections.

  Key milestones in the development of zero-trust include the publication of Forrester's zero-trust framework, which provided a comprehensive approach to implementing the model, and the adoption of zero-trust principles by major technology companies and government agencies. In 2017, Google shared its success with BeyondCorp, an internal zero-trust initiative that eliminated the need for a traditional corporate network perimeter. This real-world example demonstrated the feasibility and benefits of zero-trust, encouraging other organizations to follow suit. The U.S. government also played a significant role in promoting zero-trust, with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) releasing guidelines and the White House issuing a mandate for federal agencies to adopt zero-trust architectures. These developments have solidified zero-trust as a critical strategy for enhancing cybersecurity in an increasingly interconnected and complex digital world.
• Zero Trust Architecture

  Zero Trust Architecture

  Besides data, the Zero Trust architecture secures networks, workloads, and devices through various control measures. Below are the key focus areas of the Zero Trust model:

  • Zero Trust Data: Data safety becomes quintessential for any zero-trust framework. This model's primary objective is to block attackers through strict security controls. It continuously monitors data accessed by different users, applications, or devices across different network zones to respond to potential threats.
  • Zero Trust Devices: The growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) has increased the number of network devices. Each device in your network can be an infiltration point for a potential cyberattack. In a zero-trust environment, your IT team should control and secure physical and virtual devices to prevent possible attacks.
  • Zero Trust Workloads: The term ‘workload’ is used to refer to back-end software or application services running over the cloud. Customer-facing applications vulnerable to attacks need maximum protection. You should focus on the entire application stack, including back end, database, and front end, while strengthening your security posture through zero-trust.
  • Zero Trust Network: Traditional IT network security practices based on the castle-and-coat concept allow attackers to navigate internal systems or applications with minimum resistance after they infiltrate corporate firewalls. As everyone within the network is trusted, data breaches become easy. However, the Zero Trust model controls user access by segmenting and isolating your network using technologies such as next-gen firewalls.
• Zero Trust Principles

  Zero Trust Principles

  1. Authenticate and authorize access to all network resources

  The Zero Trust model assumes threats are both inside and outside of the network, so every user or machine should be authenticated and authorized before granting access. Without implicit trust, network traffic is evaluated in an unbiased way and verified strictly to validate every user's activity, regardless of location, device, or identity.

  2. Incorporate modern tools and technologies to safeguard your network

  Zero-trust architecture leverages modern security techniques, such as least privilege access, micro-segmentation, and multi-factor authentication. With least privilege access, users receive access or privileges necessary to execute their daily tasks. This protects valuable data and limits the lateral movement of attackers during a breach. Access is limited for devices, applications, and systems.

  Micro-segmentation focuses on breaking up the overall barrier or security perimeter into segments or zones and providing separate access to each segment of the network, thereby enabling robust prevention.

  Zero-trust security focuses on multi-factor authentication (MFA) to verify a user’s identity. It uses two or more mechanisms to authenticate users when they log in to any system, such as email/text verification, security questions, and device prompts. With multiple authentication factors in place, you can bolster your overall network security.

  3. Employ real-time monitoring and alerting tools

  Zero-trust architecture enforces preventative security controls and supports real-time network security monitoring tools. Monitoring a distributed security architecture with a Zero Trust model can be challenging for your security teams. However, these tools help ensure your existing security policies are implemented correctly and alert security teams in case of vulnerabilities. You can identify the root cause of threats in your network and eliminate them quickly.
• Benefits of a Zero Trust security model

  Benefits of a Zero Trust security model

  1. Improves visibility for enterprise traffic

  The Zero Trust model asserts that location shouldn’t be the primary metric to establish trust. A cyberintrusion can emerge from both inside and outside your network. Therefore, the zero- trust strategy focuses on identifying and classifying all the users and devices in your network. This helps gather insights about users, devices, and applications accessing your network.

  2. Safeguard customer information

  A data breach can lead to financial loss and damage to a business's reputation. A zero-trust strategy combined with just-in-time access provisioning can prevent attackers or malware from accessing a large segment of your dataset and network. You can minimize the damage by limiting the infiltration area and time during a malware attack using zero-trust micro-segmentation. If the malware can trespass your firewall, it can extract a large amount of valuable customer data and other confidential information.

  3 . Support compliance initiatives

  A zero-trust network can provide auditors with better visibility around the security measures within your organization. With micro-segmentation and fine-grained access control, you can effectively safeguard regulated and sensitive data such as credit card details and stay compliant with various data security regulations. A zero-trust network logs the critical information of every access request, such as the time of access request, location, and the applications involved in that request. This minimizes the time required to produce detailed information on all access attempts during a compliance audit.

  4. Increase security staff productivity

  Cloud-based zero-trust security solutions enable the network security team to work more efficiently. It offers centralized monitoring capabilities, allowing IT staff to secure all their network applications, devices, and users from a single interface. Staff can leverage predictive analytics to identify upcoming potential threats in the network. With single-sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA), IT staff can save time on help desk tickets related to password reset and locked devices. Security teams can identify and eliminate threats early due to complete network visibility. With a zero-trust model, it’s easy to improve the productivity of the entire IT staff.

  5. Strengthen cloud security

  Organizations embracing digital transformation are rapidly moving their applications and infrastructure to the cloud. However, traditional network security solutions aren’t designed for the cloud, so they aren’t dependable. With cloud-based zero-trust security solutions, you can maintain adequate security for applications running in the cloud and on-premises data centers. Such solutions can offer centralized control and SSO capabilities, allowing end users to access cloud applications seamlessly with minimum security threats.
• How do you implement a Zero Trust model?

  How do you implement a Zero Trust model?

  1. Identify sensitive data and define the protected surface

  An attack surface is a playground for attackers and outlines the total number of vulnerabilities in your hardware and software. Safeguarding the entire network is daunting, but you can focus on identifying the most sensitive and critical data, applications, assets, and services (DAAS) for business continuity. DAAS is the most vulnerable playground in any organization.

  For example, employees working remotely from home are more likely to succumb to a cyberattack due to compromised networks. These users can be grouped and added to separate network zones for higher security.

  2. Understand the flow of critical data in your business

  The next step in implementing the Zero Trust model is identifying the flow of sensitive data in your business. Data inside your organization is continuously accessed by multiple users from different devices, so it is critical to understand how the data is used. You can map the traffic flow to understand the interdependence between DAAS items. To improve, use automated tools to clearly distinguish between valid and invalid flows and subsequently place controls around different network segments or zones to prevent unauthorized traffic.

  3. Architect your network with zero-trust security micro-perimeters

  Micro-perimeters bring security controls closer to every service or application in your network to prevent attackers' lateral movement during a breach. They are built around your protected surface using segmentation gateways, such as next-gen firewalls, to prevent attackers from reaching the most sensitive parts of your network. A software-defined networking (SDN) platform eases segmenting networks and applications by applying proper filters or micro-perimeters and security policies, effectively implementing the zero-trust strategy.

  4. Devise access policies

  After setting up your network, create zero-trust security policies for accessing different parts of your network. You should devise these policies based on the ‘Kipling Method,’ which solves a particular problem with the 5W1H approach. By using this method, you can create access policies at a granular level. It ensures that only authorized traffic or users enter your network. While creating the security policy, address the following aspects:

  • Who will be accessing data, applications, or services across the network?
  • What particular application is employed to access protect surface-secured data or applications?
  • When is the resource accessed?
  • Where is the packet destination?
  • Why is the packet aiming to access a resource inside the protect surface?
  • How is the packet accessing the protect surface?

  5. Monitor, maintain, and automate

  After creating micro-segments and enforcing security policies, monitor your network infrastructure regularly. Consistently audit device configurations and network traffic to detect unusual activity and help ensure compliance with security regulations. Monitoring enables you to learn more about all traffic flows and discard the abnormal peaks through effective security policies. You can automate and orchestrate the entire network. With automation, you can cut down manual efforts and manage change requests efficiently. With the right monitoring, you can easily help secure and build a reliable and compliant network.
• Challenges and Organizational Considerations of Zero Trust Strategy

  Challenges and Organizational Considerations of Zero Trust Strategy

  Adopting a Zero Trust security model can present several challenges for organizations, particularly in terms of cultural, technical, and operational factors. Culturally, the shift to zero-trust often requires a significant change in mindset, where the traditional ‘trust but verify’ approach is replaced with ‘never trust, always verify.’ This can be met with resistance from employees who may feel the new policies are overly restrictive or intrusive. To address this, organizations should invest in comprehensive training and communication to explain the importance of zero-trust and how it benefits the overall security posture. Engaging with employees and addressing their concerns can help foster a more positive and cooperative environment.

  Technically, implementing zero-trust can be complex and resource-intensive. It involves integrating various security technologies, such as multi-factor authentication, identity and access management, and continuous monitoring systems. Organizations may face challenges getting these technologies to work seamlessly together without disrupting existing workflows. To mitigate these issues, it is crucial to conduct thorough planning and pilot testing before full-scale deployment.