Zero Trust Network Security

December 12, 2022

Zero trust network security, also known as perimeterless security, is an approach to network security that relies on a model of zero trust. In the world of technology, it’s used in many different applications. Other terms for it include ‘zero trust’ architecture and zero trust network access. These security models provide organizations with several advantages.

Multifactor authentication

Multifactor authentication is an increasingly important tool for network security. It eliminates the inherent trust in corporate networks and requires strong identity verification and device compliance before granting access. This ensures that only authorized users can access sensitive information and systems. Multifactor authentication utilizes cryptographic techniques to prevent single piece of stolen verification from being sufficient to gain access. Using this technology, companies can protect their networks against social engineering, malware, and other threats.

Zero trust network security is a security concept introduced by a Forrester Research analyst in 2010. In this approach, users required to prove they are who they claim to be. It can also help protect against account hacking and easy guessing of passwords. Zero-Trust applies multifactor authentication across the network and to endpoints and periodically verifies that users are who they say they are. It’s a valuable layer of protection for valuable assets.

Zero Trust network security requires a multi-factor authentication process to limit the number of accounts a user has access to. It also requires authentication with more than one piece of evidence, such as a PIN code or OTP. In addition to this, it keeps track of the number of devices and IP addresses that try to connect to the network. This ensures that each device is legitimate and authorized.

Another important form of MFA is the use of biometrics. These biometrics can include fingerprints, facial features, iris or retina scans, or even voice ID. While biometrics initially seemed to be a strong authentication factor, new technologies have made it possible to circumvent biometrics. In addition to biometrics, multifactor authentication can also use physical devices, such as Cryptographic Hardware Tokens. The internal keys of these devices are physically isolated within a protective enclave.

Perimeter-focused security

As more organizations adopt cloud computing, the traditional network security perimeter is no longer relevant. However, security teams are facing new challenges identifying which devices and users trusted and which ones are not. To address this, more organizations are turning to Zero Trust network security. Unlike traditional network security, Zero Trust focuses on continuously validating users and devices within the network.

Zero Trust security systems make use of microsegmentation to break security perimeters into smaller zones and maintain separate access to different parts of the network. For example, a network of files stored in a single data center may contain dozens of secure zones that accessed only by authorized users. This prevents lateral movement, or movement within a network once a person has gained access.

By eliminating the traditional perimeter-based security model, zero trust networks can enable one-to-one connections with security and access controls. This method involves microsegmentation, which allows IT to wall off specific network resources in discrete zones, while firewalls protect the rest of the network from threats.

As digital transformation continues to make the technology ecosystem more complex, traditional security techniques must evolve as well. While perimeter-focused methods have their place, they have become ineffective as the attack surface continues to expand. Additionally, the need for cloud applications has increased exponentially. In such a scenario, it can be difficult to track who needs access to sensitive data. Zero Trust security enforces the right users to access the network by using non-human identities.

Zero Trust network security is a strategy for protecting modern digital business environments. Today, organizations are increasingly using public and private clouds, SaaS applications, DevOps, and robotic process automation. Zero Trust is based on the philosophy that organizations should not automatically trust anything and should instead verify every connection before giving access to it. The goal of zero trust security is to minimize cyber attacks and protect sensitive data.

Cost-effectiveness

Zero trust network security costs less to deploy and protect data than traditional security measures. Organizations with zero trust have reported a lower cost per breach than companies with high-standard encryption. However, implementing zero trust will take time. Cost savings will grow as zero trust fully implemented. Zero trust best used in conjunction with high-standard encryption, including 256-bit AES encryption keys.

Zero trust network security relies on AI and security automation to keep data and connections safe. It is a security model that assumes that any network connection can be a security threat, and therefore relies on AI to validate network connections. The benefits of zero trust network security include reduced costs and greater scalability.

Zero Trust architecture reduces risks and complexity while simultaneously improving user experience. It also enables continuous compliance by tracking each access request, its time, location, and application. This creates a seamless audit trail, which reduces audit efforts. Furthermore, it improves governance and can have a positive impact on the bottom line.

Zero trust network security is more affordable than traditional network segmentation. By limiting attacker access paths to specific network components, Zero Trust also minimizes the impact of a breach. Furthermore, identity-based segmentation is easier to implement and maintain compared to traditional network segmentation. By limiting the number of accounts, a non-human can access, Zero Trust can help organizations reduce costs and time. A zero-trust network security strategy reduces the need for human resources, allowing more time for innovation.

Zero Trust provides automated protection and hyper-accurate detection. With a single admin interface, Zero Trust makes it easier to deploy and maintain. This eliminates the need to duplicate policies, which saves administrators’ time. Furthermore, a Zero Trust network security platform performs multiple policy actions in a single scan, simplifying the user experience.

Redundancy

Zero Trust Network Security is an important security strategy that treats every connection as equally secure. It has shown to boost employee productivity by removing the implied distrust in network security. Zero Trust Network Security also makes it possible for employees to use all applications securely from anywhere. The concept is seamless and transparent to users, which helps ensure that Zero Trust will benefit everyone.

Zero Trust works by reducing the number of security controls and enabling the security provider to monitor network activity more efficiently. The solution also reduces the complexity of the security stack by eliminating redundant security devices. This can help ensure that sensitive information is secure. It also reduces the amount of time it takes to detect a security breach.

Zero trust controls can implement in a greenfield deployment. The zero-trust network security control architecture model models trust relationships between network segments, enabling it to create relevant policies and grant access according to the need. The greenfield implementation knows which traffic flows to secure first, and it can then expand through new policies.

Zero Trust is a modern security paradigm. It replaces traditional approaches to network security, which depend on user authentication and introduce the risk of insecure devices. Many organizations have begun moving toward this model, which limits network access to known devices. Furthermore, the new paradigm can support the adoption of cloud services.

Zero trust is a never-ending journey, and organizations need to make the journey with confidence. Ultimately, this will ensure that the organization’s data resources protected. The key to zero trust is having multiple layers of protection. It is also vital to have a resilient network and an efficient security strategy.

Complexity

Zero-trust network security is a form of information security that relies on strong authentication and authorization. It can implement inside or outside the network perimeter and employs analytics, filtering, and logging to constantly monitor network flows and signal compromise. Its benefits include a reduction in time and resources, and it can help protect sensitive data from unauthorized access.

Zero-trust network security is fundamentally different from traditional network security, which typically follows the “trust but verify” principle. Traditional network security assumes that all users and endpoints inside the perimeter are legitimate. This is a fundamental flaw in traditional network security, which puts your organization at risk from malicious internal actors as well as legitimate credentials stolen by rogue users. It is also outdated, as cloud migration and the acceleration of distributed work environments will make it impossible to rely on this model for security.

The concept of Zero Trust security is a bit like an overly vigilant security guard: every single device and user constantly monitored and their credentials checked. When a user tries to move laterally, the system will prevent them from doing so. In this way, zero trust security allows users to access only what they need to do.

Zero Trust network security is an important consideration for modern organizations. The modern company’s environment can be highly distributed, with hundreds of servers, databases, and internal and third-party SaaS applications. The environment may also span multiple physical and cloud data centers, each with its own network and access policies. Thus, it’s important to have a single, consistent Zero Trust strategy for the organization.

Ammar Fakhruddin

ABOUT AUTHOR

Ammar brings in 18 years of experience in strategic solutions and product development in Public Sector, Oil & Gas and Healthcare organizations. He loves solving complex real world business and data problems by bringing in leading-edge solutions that are cost effective, improve customer and employee experience. At Propelex he focuses on helping businesses achieve digital excellence using Smart Data & Cybersecurity solutions.


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