Trust Neither a Zero Nor a One! Zero Trust Model Explained (without jargon)

Zero Trust Security: An Introduction

The Zero Trust model is based on a philosophy that no device or person inside or outside of the organization’s network should be given access to the IT infrastructure and services until authenticated and are continuously verified. 

It is an excellent way of providing cybersecurity to organizations having confidential data/information and facilitates employees to work remotely. 

This model is completely focused on protecting various resources such as network accounts, databases, and different services, present as a part of the IT infrastructure.  

The term, Zero Trust comes from the fundamental principle that any access to the source must be verified. Regardless of the device and human location, the verification process is repeated regularly according to the workload. Usage of the same device and save the possibility of information availability is not an option. 

The Zero Trust model works by assuming that every endpoint and connection is considered a threat. This is based on one of out of the three principles of the zero-trust model. This blog post brings out the important measures to be taken while implementing Zero Trust Models.  

Points to Ponder During Zero-Trust Model Implementation

Source: Freepik Images

Always assume breach  

With this principle in consideration, the zero-trust framework protects the IT infrastructure against threats, whether internal or external along with protection against existing connections by using continuous verifications. 

In brief, the zero-trust model inspects and logs all network traffic, limits and controls access to the network and verifies and secures all the resources and services. 

Use least privilege access 

The Zero Trust model makes use of the least privilege access, which states that users can only access resources and data on a limited basis i.e., according to the need and authorization level. The zero-trust model ensures that data and resources are inaccessible by default and requires authentication and verification of the user to allow access to the IT infrastructure. 

With the usage of the Zero trust model, every connection made (such as when a user connects to an application), every device and network flow is authenticated and authorized. 

Use dynamic policies 

The zero-trust model uses dynamic policies with context from as many data sources as possible to authenticate and authorize every device connecting to the network. Usage of the zero-trust framework ensures that all interactions meet the conditional requirements of the company’s security policies and compliance. 

To successfully implement a zero-trust model, the first requirement for the organization is to connect information from various security domains. This requires the security teams across the company to agree upon priorities and access policies. They must secure all the connections from across the business, from data to users, workloads and networks and devices to applications. 

The second requirement is the presence of a well-planned roadmap and strategy must be in place to implement and combine security tools to achieve specific business-focused outcomes. 

Key Benefits of the Zero Trust Model

The following factors must be adopted by organizations while adopting the zero-trust model: 

• Make an organization-wide commitment 
• Lock down some common vulnerabilities 
• Classification of data for data-centric approach 
• Segment networks to prevent unauthorized lateral movement in the network.
• Isolate and protect workloads during cloud server and virtual machine cross-movement.
• Catalog all IT assets and assign access rights based on roles.

Successful implementation of the zero-trust model can help in bringing context and insight into a rapidly evolving attack surface for the security team and help in improving the user experience as well. 

Conclusion

The Zero Trust Model works perfectly for users, simplifies infrastructure requirements, and helps protect against cybercrimes. 

It has different components that can help ensure network trust and avoid malicious attacks, which is done by securing application access for all employees and partners.  

This model reduces the risks of data breaches through its support for compliance initiatives. It reduces complexity and helps in saving IT resources while reducing business and organizational risk. 

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FAQs

  1. What is the concept of zero trust model?

A Zero Trust Model is an approach of implementing cybersecurity by replacing implicit trust with continuous validation of every stage of all digital interactions.

 2. What are the Core Principles of the Zero Trust Model?

• Eliminate the default access controls.
• Apply various types of preventative techniques that address identity, endpoint, data, and application access.
• Implement real-time monitoring to identify and halt malicious attempts.
• Implement a broader security strategy.

WRITTEN BY Komal Singh