Zero Trust Security Model – Detailed Explanation | CyberNcrypt
What is the Zero trust model?
Zero Trust security is an IT security approach that mandates tight identity verification for every person and device attempting to access a private network’s resources, regardless of their location inside the network perimeter. ZTNA is the primary technology associated with Zero Trust architecture; nevertheless, Zero Trust is a comprehensive approach to network security that encompasses a variety of different ideas and technologies.
Traditional vs Zero trust security Model
Traditional IT network security implicitly trusts everyone and everything inside the network. A Zero Trust architecture has no faith in anybody or anything.
Traditional IT network security is built on the notion of a “castle and moat.” In castle-and-moat security, it is difficult to enter the network from the outside, while everyone on the inside is trusted by default. Once an attacker has access to the network, they have unrestricted control over everything inside.
This weakness in castle-and-moat security systems is worsened by the fact that businesses no longer store their information in a centralized location. Today, information is often dispersed among several cloud suppliers, making it more difficult to implement a unified security policy for a complete network.
Zero Trust security implies that no one from within or outside the network is trusted by default, and verification is needed from anybody attempting to access network resources. This additional security measure has been shown to prevent data breaches. According to studies, the average cost of a single data breach exceeds $3 million. Given this number, it should not come as a surprise that a growing number of enterprises are keen to embrace a Zero Trust security strategy.
Main principles behind Zero Trust security
- Continuous monitoring and validation: – The Zero Trust network theory implies that there are attackers both within and outside the network, hence no users or machines should be automatically trusted. Zero Trust validates both the identity and privileges of the user and the identity and security of the device. Once created, logins and connections expire regularly, requiring users and devices to be continually re-verified.
- Least privilege: – Least-privilege access is an additional concept of zero-trust security. This entails granting users just the amount of access they need, much like an army general distributing information to troops on a need-to-know basis. This reduces each user’s exposure to vulnerable network components. Implementing the least privilege requires the management of user permissions with care. Because entering into a VPN gives the user access to the whole network, VPNs are not well-suited for least-privilege methods to authorization.
- Device access control:- Zero Trust demands rigorous restrictions on device access in addition to limitations on user access. Zero Trust systems must monitor the number of devices attempting to access their network, check that every device is permitted, and evaluate each device to determine whether it has been hacked. This significantly reduces the network’s attack surface.
- Microsegmentation:- Microsegmentation is also used by Zero Trust networks. Microsegmentation is the process of dividing security perimeters into tiny zones in order to retain separate network access for distinct network components. Using micro-segmentation, a network with files residing in a single data center may comprise dozens of independent, secure zones. Without additional authorization, a user or program having access to one of these zones will be unable to access the others.
- Preventing lateral movement:- In network security, “lateral mobility” refers to an attacker’s movement inside a network after acquiring access. Even if the attacker’s access point is identified, it might be difficult to identify lateral movement since the attacker will have already compromised other sections of the network. Zero Trust is intended to prevent attackers from moving laterally. Because Zero Trust access is segmented and must be regularly re-established, an attacker cannot traverse to other network microsegments. After detecting an attacker’s presence, a compromised device or user account may be quarantined, preventing further access. (In a castle-and-moat model, if lateral mobility is allowed for the attacker, quarantining the first compromised device or user has a limited impact since the attacker has already spread to other areas of the network.)
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA):- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a Zero Trust security fundamental value. MFA implies needing many pieces of evidence to authenticate a user; a password alone is not sufficient to acquire access. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a frequent implementation of MFA on websites such as Facebook and Google. In addition to inputting a password, users who activate two-factor authentication for these services must additionally enter a code delivered to another device, such as a mobile phone, giving two pieces of proof that they are who they claim to be.
