Zero Trust requires a new mindset and significant technology and architecture changes. This can disrupt business as usual and complicate operations.
Continuous verification and limiting the “blast radius” help reduce security vulnerabilities and minimize impact in the event of an external or insider breach. Encryption and micro-segmentation further reduce the attack surface.
Authentication
Authentication is critical to zero trust, assuming all devices and users are hostile until proven otherwise. This security concept emerged in response to innovations that make traditional network perimeters obsolete: cloud resources, remote work, and Internet-of-things devices, among others.
A successful zero trust network access requires advanced authentication services, micro-segmentation, encryption, and continuous validation of device health and compliance. It also relies on the least privilege access principle, which ensures that credentials are only given the minimum level of authorization required to perform a task. This is important because many attacks rely on overprivileged service accounts that are often unmonitored and must be updated when tasks change.
Disadvantages of zero trust include that it can take more time to implement and manage, especially for IT teams that must assess each device and application. It can also add friction to productivity, as employees may need help accessing utilities or files required to do their jobs. This can be mitigated by partnering with the right security vendor specializing in Zero Trust, which can help organizations get up and running quickly.
While the disadvantages of Zero Trust can seem significant, they don’t outweigh the benefits, which include increased visibility and security, reduced cost of operations, and enhanced data protection. Contact a security partner to learn more about Zero Trust’s advantages and how to overcome its disadvantages.
Encryption
With zero trust, users are never automatically granted access to an entire network. Instead, users are confined to specific perimeters with admission based on defined identity and security policies. These policies follow the principle of least privilege, ensuring that only the minimum credentials are required for a given task. This limits the scope of a breach and minimizes the impact on the rest of the system if a compromised account is used to spread throughout the organization.
Another key aspect of zero trust is micro-segmentation. It allows organizations to divide their networks into separate zones and control lateral movement. This is similar to firefighters locking off parts of a building during a fire, and it is critical for maintaining the damage caused by hackers who successfully breach the system.
A zero-trust model recognizes that attackers can come inside and outside the perimeter. It focuses on positive user identification through adaptive authentication and device risk assessments. This helps strengthen password security, prevent credential theft and phishing attacks, and provides valuable visibility across the digital workplace. It also enables security teams to limit a breach’s “blast radius” by requiring continuous verification and access control while reducing security vulnerabilities through analytics-based risk scores and automated policies. It’s the best way to provide security aligned with the cloud-first, work-from-anywhere model most organizations now have in place.
Segmentation
The network is a complex environment that requires security policies to be constantly adjusted. Without granular segmentation, many cyberattacks can slip through the cracks. Zero trust enables segmentation using software-defined perimeters and micro-segmentation to authenticate users, their devices and their applications. This provides the visibility needed to keep up with the tempo of business while ensuring that only approved, trusted systems have access to sensitive information.
Zero trust relies on the principle of least privilege. He requires all credentials – including those used to perform routine tasks such as installing patches, updates or other automated tasks – to be monitored for signs of misuse. This is especially important in light of the 2021 software supply chain attack leveraging over-privileged service accounts.
With the right partner, zero trust can be rolled out in stages so that security doesn’t interfere with productivity. This approach ensures that the most critical resources are protected first while allowing for the smooth transition of employees from a traditional firewall-based network to the secure zero-trust model.
Implementing zero trust is not a project to be checked off a list but an ongoing journey with many milestones that must be achieved along the way. For organizations looking to make the most of their zero trust implementation, a partner with the visibility required to quickly and effectively monitor the network’s health will be key.
Monitoring
In the zero trust model, every user, device and application must be vetted to determine their risk posture. This requires a robust, adaptive access control system that constantly verifies every connection, including authentication, authorization and encryption. This dynamic policy is based on a set of factors, including a combination of device, user and network health, application context, data classification and anomalies.
This approach also requires IT and security teams to work differently. Traditionally, teams focused on protecting the perimeter and trusted users and devices. But in the digital world, there is no traditional perimeter and a more distributed workforce that uses remote connections to cloud applications and on-premises services. These workers use personal devices that are not always secure and can be used to attack the organization.
A zero-trust security architecture addresses these challenges and provides the agility and protections needed to accelerate digital transformation for the modern enterprise. With the right approach, organizations can simplify access to core business apps and reduce the burden on SOC analysts with hyper-accurate detection and automated protections. Zero trust offers a new way to think about security, but there are better fits for some companies. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of zero trust will help you choose the best security solution for your organization.
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