What is Zero Trust Security?

Question 1

Accepted Answer

Zero-trust security is a contextual IT security model governed by a single axiom: “Trust no one.” A zero trust model, or architecture, means that no user or device should have default access to an organization’s network, workspace, or other resources—even if they’re employed by the organization. Authorized users must pass security protocols before access is granted based on criteria like their identity, time of access, and device posture. Zero trust architecture can include access control, user identity verification, and secure workspaces to prevent malware, data exfiltration due to a VPN breach, and other attacks on sensitive data.

Question 2

Why is zero trust security important?

Accepted Answer

Zero trust security is important because today’s IT departments have to protect a larger attack surface while delivering an engaging user experience. Now that employees rely on personal devices for remote access to workspaces, cloud apps, and corporate resources, the likelihood of a data loss is higher than ever.

Question 3

What’s the difference between traditional information security and zero trust architecture?

Accepted Answer

Traditional approaches to information security involve corralling sensitive data into data centers protected by logins and firewalls. The assumption was that everyone inside the organization was vetted and trustworthy—as long as someone had a username and password, they could access everything on the organization’s network unchallenged.
A zero trust architecture evolves this traditional cybersecurity approach by moving the onus of data protection from within the organization to each user, device, and application attempting network access. Implemented correctly, this approach to zero trust is a context-aware security architecture that can recognize patterns in user behavior and devices to adaptively grant or deny access based on factors like identity, time of day, and location.

Question 4

How to get started implementing a zero trust architecture?

Accepted Answer

1. Audit the organization’s network for a clear picture of what infrastructure and endpoints are in place. This shows IT what their network security policy needs to address first.
2. Conduct a thorough threat assessment, and come up with some scenarios for what would happen if sensitive data was breached. Ask questions like “Who is most likely to access what data?” and “If the first level of security is penetrated, how easy will it be to penetrate subsequent ones?”.
2. Conduct a thorough threat assessment, and come up with some scenarios for what would happen if sensitive data was breached. Ask questions like “Who is most likely to access what data?” and “If the first level of security is penetrated, how easy will it be to penetrate subsequent ones?”.
3. Decide how to trust users, devices, and applications as separate but related entities. It’s important to grant access only to what is actually needed on a use-by-use basis. Multi-factor authentication is a good start, but it can also be helpful to adopt contextual access control tools to disable printing, copy-paste, and screenshotting in certain scenarios. You can also have all employees access their apps and data inside a secure workspace to deliver more comprehensive enterprise security.
4. Test your zero trust architecture to see how well it performs. Run scenarios where your IT team attempts to gain access to sensitive data via a lost device, unsecured wifi network, malicious URLs, or malware. This can show potential vulnerabilities in your network security in order to adapt the cybersecurity approach accordingly.

Question 5

Is zero trust architecture a single product?

Accepted Answer

Zero trust security is not one product or a solution. Rather, it is an architecture or framework that IT can use to enable secure access for all applications, from any device, by continuously evaluating trust at every touchpoint.

Question 6

Does zero trust mean I need to replace my entire IT infrastructure?

Accepted Answer

While implementing zero trust is not simple, it should not require you to rip-and-replace your on-premises or cloud infrastructure. The right zero trust vendor will work with you to secure your existing infrastructure, such as identity platforms, SIEM/SOC and web proxies, and SD-WAN solutions. For example, your zero trust vendor should be able to integrate with Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Azure AD, and Okta user directories as well as the contextual identity management policies that come with these platforms.

Question 7

How do I find the right technology or services to implement a zero trust network?

Accepted Answer

Because of the comprehensive nature of a zero trust security model, IT can get stuck in an endless cycle of adding point products such as SSL VPN, endpoint management, and multi-factor authentication to address new security use cases. This can lead to more complexity and create a fractured experience for end users—all while leaving gaps in cybersecurity that attackers can exploit.

Question 8

Why can’t VPNs support zero trust security?

Accepted Answer

The most fundamental difference between VPNs and zero trust security frameworks is that traditional VPNs trust blindly. With a VPN, once access is granted, a remote user gains total access to the network. To summarize the major vulnerabilities of VPNs, the following attributes stand out:

1. VPNs over-simplify authentication.
2. VPNs don’t scale.
3. VPNs aren’t optimized for employee experience.

Was ist Zero-Trust-Sicherheit?

Warum ist Zero-Trust-Sicherheit wichtig?

Wodurch unterscheidet sich herkömmliche Informationssicherheit von einer Zero-Trust-Architektur?

Erste Schritte zur Implementierung einer Zero-Trust-Architektur

Häufig gestellte Fragen zu Zero-Trust-Sicherheit

Zero Trust vs. VPN: Warum eigenen sich VPNs nicht für Zero-Trust-Sicherheit?

Zusätzliche Ressourcen

Nächster Schritt