What is Zero Trust Security? Detailed Explaination

Zero Trust Security is a security model that moves beyond the traditional perimeter-based security practices. A Zero Trust Security model resonates with a “Never Trust - Always Verify” concept. It means that no user or device is trusted inherently, regardless of whether they are from inside or outside of the organization. Before granting access to a resource, every user and device is continuously and thoroughly authenticated and authorized.

“When an entity looks at taking the journey towards zero Trust, one of the first things they have to do is really evaluate and draw down the first CIS benchmarks one and two, which is the inventory”. - Vincent Romney, ScaletoZero podcast

To simplify Zero Trust Security, A general example of a castle-and-moat security system is always shared. We have tried to explain the Zero Trust Security concept using the same example.

Imagine a traditional security model as a castle. The castle walls i.e. perimeter represent the network defenses. Anyone inside the castle walls is granted access to everything.

Whereas, In a zero-trust model, everyone in an organization including the king (authorized users) needs to show their ID (authentication) and get permission (authorization) from the guard (access control) every time they are accessing a resource within the organization (castle). This applies not only to internal users but also to the third-party users you are working with (outsiders who are allowed to enter the castle).

What are the principles of Zero Trust Security?

“I think when anyone is evaluating their security architecture, we have to back up to their technical architecture because security architecture really is dependent on what you’re applying it to” - Vincent Romney, ScaletoZero podcast

The castle-and-moat example shared above says that everyone and everything must be verified before granting access to it. This resonates with several key principles of Zero Trust Security. We have explained all the key principles below;

Continuous Verification

This principle focuses on the need for constant authentication and authorization checks. As said earlier, No user or device should be trusted by default, regardless of the location, authoritativeness, or previous verification. Security controls should continuously validate access requests throughout a session, ensuring the user or device requesting access still has the appropriate permissions.

Least Privilege

Zero Trust adheres to the principle of least privilege. Users and devices are only given access to resources with the least permissions required to perform their tasks. This reduces the risk of possible threats in case of a breach by limiting the attacker’s ability to move within the system and access unauthorized resources.

Device Access Control

Just like the users, devices are also given controlled access within the zero-trust environment. This involves managing and authenticating devices before they are granted organizational resources. Measures like device registration, posture checks, and endpoint security controls can be implemented to ensure that only authorized and secure devices can connect to the network.

Microsegmentation

In the zero-trust architecture, networks are segmented into smaller and more secure zones. Microsegmentation creates a logical barrier between different parts of the network which results in reducing the radius of a potential breach. This ensures that even if an attacker gains access to one network segment, it cannot move freely into the entire network.

Deny All By Default

Deny All Default is nothing but a similar concept shared in the beginning “Never Trust, Verify All”. In this, access to all the resources is denied by default, and only explicitly authorized users and devices with necessary permissions are given access. This proactive approach minimizes the risk of unauthorized access and ensures a more secure environment.

What are the benefits of using Zero Trust Security architecture?

Below are the 6 benefits organizations can achieve through carefully following and implementing zero trust security architecture.

Reduced Attack Surface

Controlled and verified access equals reduced attack surface! Zero Trust reduces the potential to damage resources caused due to a breach by constantly verifying access and minimizing trust. Even if an attacker gains access to a specific resource, it is likely be blocked from reaching other sensitive regions due to a lack of necessary permissions.

Enhanced Security for Remote Access

Recently after the pandemic, a significant portion of the workforce is operating remotely. Zero Trust is well-suited for such cases where the need is to secure access regardless of the user's location. Since it focuses on verifying users and devices themselves, rather than relying solely on network location, it provides a secure way to grant access to authorized personnel working remotely.

Granular Access Control

As we said above, Zero trust adheres to the principle of least privilege. It means that users and devices are only given the minimum level of access required to complete given tasks. This granular control makes it challenging and almost impossible for attackers to exploit credentials or move laterally within the network if they gain access to a single account.

Improved Data Protection

Zero Trust focuses on securing access to specific resources rather than granting full access to the entire network. This approach significantly reduces data exploitation. By limiting access to users and devices with the appropriate permissions, zero trust minimizes the risk of unauthorized data exfiltration or accidental data breaches.

Simplified Security Management

While Zero Trust implementation might require initial planning. In the longer run, it can ultimately simplify security management. Zero Trust can streamline security processes and reduce administrative control for security teams by centralizing access control policies and leveraging automation for verification tasks.

Improved Compliance

Organizations need to follow many data security regulations to implement strong access controls and protective measures. A well-designed Zero Trust architecture can help organizations adhere to these compliance requirements by demonstrating a rigorous approach to user and device authentication, authorization, and data access control.

Remember, securing your data not only depends on zero trust security practices alone. It depends on various other factors. However, the benefits explained above showcase how Zero Trust Security can significantly enhance an organization's overall security posture in today's increasingly complex and dynamic threat landscape.

How to implement Zero Trust Security?

Implementing Zero Trust is a journey and not a destination. Security teams should keep on improving and enhancing their security sitemap for the best security measures. Here are the key steps involved in implementing Zero Trust Security.

1. Define Your Attack Surface

This is as simple as understanding what and whom you are protecting or trying to protect. This involves identifying all your critical assets, data, applications, and systems. Having a clear picture of your attack surface allows you to prioritize security measures and determine the level of protection required for different resources.

2. Inventory Users and Devices

Examining Who (users as well as device) needs access to your resources. Create a comprehensive list of all authorized users, devices, and applications that require access to your systems. This also includes employees, contractors, third-party vendors, and any devices that are used to connect to your network.

3. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

People think that MFA is a very traditional way of securing resources. However, MFA plays a major role in your security strategy by adding an extra layer of security to the login process. Beyond usernames and passwords, MFA demands users to provide a second verification factor, such as a code from an authenticator app, fingerprint scan, or security token such as YubiKey. This significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access even if credentials are compromised.

4. Enforce Least Privilege Access Control

While explaining the principles of Zero Trust, we said that the “Principle of least privilege is a cornerstone of Zero Trust”. Grant users and devices the minimum level of access required to perform their specific tasks. Avoid giving broad access permissions; instead, focus on granular control over what resources each user or device can access and what actions they can perform.

5. Segment Your Network

It is nothing but microsegmentation. Microsegmentation involves dividing your network into smaller, more secure zones. This approach limits the blast radius of a potential breach. By segmenting your network, even if an attacker gains access to one segment, they'll be restricted from freely moving throughout the entire network and reaching critical resources.

6. Continuously Monitor User Activity

Zero Trust emphasizes continuous verification. Implement security tools and processes to monitor user activity and device behavior within your network. This allows you to detect suspicious activity and potential breaches early on. Techniques like User Entity and Behavior Analytics (UEBA) can be valuable in identifying anomalies that might indicate unauthorized access attempts.

7. Educate Users

The success of any security strategy relies on user awareness and behavior. Educate your employees about Zero Trust principles and best practices. Train them on strong password hygiene, phishing awareness, and the importance of reporting suspicious activity.

8. Embrace Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

SASE is a cloud-delivered security model that converges several network security functions like secure web gateway (SWG), cloud access security broker (CASB), and zero-trust network access (ZTNA) into a single service. Implementing a SASE solution can simplify Zero Trust implementation and improve security posture.

9. Test and Refine

Security is an ongoing process. Continuously test your Zero Trust architecture to identify weaknesses and potential vulnerabilities. Regularly review and refine your access control policies, user permissions, and monitoring procedures to ensure they remain effective in a constantly evolving threat landscape.

What does Zero Trust mean in Cybersecurity and Cloud Security?

If you are a security practitioner, by far now, you must have understood that Zero Trust Security is a framework that applies across both cybersecurity and cloud security. Although, some key differences are important due to the nature of the environment. Let us take a look at them.

Cybersecurity

Focus: In the general cybersecurity landscape, Zero Trust Security focuses on securing organizational IT infrastructure including on-prem data centers, user devices, and network resources.
Challenges: ZTS addresses the challenges of traditional network perimeter by focusing on continuous verification of users and devices, least privilege access control, and micro-segmentation of the network.
Benefits: Reduced attack surface, improved security for remote access, and better protection for sensitive data across the entire IT infrastructure.

Cloud Security

Focus: ZTS when implemented in cloud environments, primarily focuses on securing access to cloud-based resources like applications, data storage, and services.
Challenges: ZTS complements the traditional IAM Security model by adding an extra layer of verification and access control even after users have been authenticated by the cloud provider.
Benefits: Enhanced control over access to cloud resources, reduced risk of unauthorized access due to compromised credentials or insider threats, and improved compliance with data security regulations.

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