Zero trust security is a term that you may have been hearing more and more lately. But what is it, exactly? And why should you care? In this post, we’ll break down the zero trust security model, explain why it’s become so popular, and show you how to get started using it in your own organization. Stay tuned!
Zero Trust Security Model
Cybersecurity is the process of managing the risks associated with your data and information assets. It is all about managing risk. We must consider the threats to those assets and the measures we take to protect them.
It is a growing problem for businesses in this new digital economy. It’s not just about protecting your perimeter. But it is about protecting what matters most, your critical business data.
That is why companies developed the Zero Trust Security model. The zero Trust security model is an approach to network and systems security that focuses on risk-based access control. Also, it enforces that only authorized users can access specific resources within a computer system.
This is based on their identity and the resource’s level of sensitivity. The Zero Trust approach assumes that any user or device, connected to a network could be an intruder or insider. This is whether inside or outside an organization.
Access Protected Resources
The Zero Trust model is a departure from the “all-or-nothing” approach taken by traditional network security. The Zero Trust model strives to identify users and devices at one of three levels of trust. This is before they access protected resources.
The Zero Trust model is designed to protect an organization’s data, regardless of where it resides. This is on-premises or in the cloud. Since the model allows organizations to adopt a cloud-first strategy while maintaining control of security and compliance.
Zero Trust is designed to help organizations realize the potential benefits of cloud computing. This is while managing the risks associated with its adoption. Zero Trust is a response to the growing concern that data protection strategies have not kept pace.
Furthermore, this is with the exponential growth of new technologies and user expectations. Traditional network security policies grant authorized users full access to all systems and data, regardless of sensitivity. This approach has enabled widespread breaches of confidential information by both external hackers and insider threats.
Mitigating Threats
The zero-trust security model helps in mitigating the following issues:
1. Compliance: The biggest challenge for organizations is to ensure that employees are compliant with policies.
2. Operational costs: Every organization has to manage its security infrastructure and operational costs at all times.
3. Vendor vulnerability: All companies who rely on cloud service providers should consider the risks associated with a vendor’s security practices.
4. User identity federation: Users must be authenticated before they can access sensitive data.
5. Cloud or mobile device access: The same principles apply to mobile devices or cloud environments that connect to the corporate network. But these must be treated as strangers as well.
6. Ransomware attacks: Ransomware attacks are commonly targeted at “high value” individuals within an organization. But they may impact other users as well.
The Zero Trust Security Model is a relatively new approach compared to traditional network security models. However, it has gained popularity among many companies that are looking for solutions to protect against sophisticated cyber attacks.