The digital landscape has evolved from the early days of the Internet. Cloud and mobility have affected paradigm changes in traditional computing models. Side-by-side, security models have also undergone a massive transformation. Since enterprises no longer have their data in one place and employees work remotely, traditional perimeter-based identity and access models have become obsolete. In its place, the zero-trust approach finds favour in safeguarding networks.

The growing irrelevance of perimeter protection

Until not too long ago, network security meant protecting the network perimeter using firewalls.  Once the firewalls guarding the network perimeter grants a user or device access, there are no further checks or validations. Such an approach no longer works in today’s changed realities. 

With the spread of the cloud and remote work, an enterprise’s network perimeter is no longer limited to the workplace. Boundaries between the work office, suppliers, customers, and workers have blurred. Data often resides outside the corporate network in multiple cloud environments. Users login from remote locations, and devices with varying security postures become gateways to the network. IoT and other connected devices increase the number of network endpoints massively.

The chances of vulnerabilities in user devices or endpoints remain high. When users connect to the network using such personal devices through unsecured public devices, attackers have a big door open. 

Cybercriminals are quick to capitalise on such scenarios. They launch sophisticated attacks that exploit vulnerabilities of any endpoint or user devices. With traditional security models not equipped for such threats, security teams seek other options. 

Among the various options. Zero Trust has consistently found favour with security researchers and big tech companies. Forrester Research introduced the concept of Zero Trust in 2010. Soon, it found favour with Google, which led to a growing interest in it. In 2019, Gartner listed Zero Trust as a core secure access service edge (SASE) component.

What is Zero-Trust?

Zero-trust security moves network security beyond the perimeter. 

Conventional identity and access management (IAM) relies on one-time verification before granting access. Once the user or device has access, there are no further checks. 

Zero-trust models do not trust anyone by default, even when they are inside the network. The system verifies the user, device, or application every time they try to access a resource. It never assumes trust and adopts continuous verification as long as the user or device is in the network. Such an approach reduces risk without impacting operations or degrading user productivity.

The Zero-Trust approach in action

The zero-trust security approach adopts the principle of “never trust, always verify.” It authenticates every user, device, or application at every access attempt without exception. It does not consider the location or whether the user already has access. Any anomaly or suspicious behaviour triggers additional authentication steps or blocks the user.

Access control

Access control is the core of the zero-trust approach. 

Zero-trust and multi-factor authentication go hand in hand. An extra authentication layer, apart from the password, verifies the user’s identity beyond doubt and reduces the risk of unauthorised access.

Users and devices get the least privileges or minimum access and rights needed to do the job. Such an approach minimises damage if a breach occurs. The attacker cannot exceed the minimal privileges available to the compromised user.

Implementing the least privilege involves:

• Active management of user permissions.
• Monitoring devices accessing the network. The security tools enforcing Zero-trust have to authorise every device.

Micro-segmentation

Micro-segmentation is dividing the network into smaller, isolated zones. For instance, a network containing a single data centre may contain dozens of secure zones. A user or application gets access only to a specific zone where the data they need resides. They need separate authorisation to access other zones if they need additional data from other zones.

Micro-segmentation limits the damage to a small zone if a breach occurs. It also foils the lateral movement tactics often adopted by attackers. Many attackers move within the network after gaining access. Such a tactic makes it difficult to identify the attack. This holds even when the network security discovers the entry point and defeats the quarantine remedy.

The prerequisite to apply micro segmenting is partitioning the network drives. 

One easy way to achieve micro-segmentation goals is through software-defined perimeter (SDP). SDP creates a virtual secure zone around specific applications to limit authorised user and device access. Traditional firewalls offer broad network access controls. SDP enables granular access controls on a per-application basis. It also enforces strict authentication and authorisation for every connection attempt. SDP also offers deep visibility into user and device activity within every network segment.

Network visibility

Complete network visibility complements Zero Trust. A key facilitating tool is Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) tools. CASB offers system admins full visibility and control over cloud applications. CASB monitors user sessions and data-related activities to detect anomalies in real-time. It also allows admins to identify shadow IT and enforce comprehensive control over access and data flow. CASB tools also enable enforcing granular controls.

The soaring popularity of Zero-trust

The global zero-trust security market reached USD 21,673.9 million in 2023 and will grow at a 19.5% CAGR between 2024 and 2030. Enterprises have been queuing up to embrace Zero-trust for good reasons. 

Zero Trust suits today’s agile work models. It simplifies network management and facilitates secure remote access. Enterprises with mature Zero Trust implementation score 30% higher in security resiliency than enterprises without similar strategies.

Zero Trust’s “never trust, always verify” approach also reduces the menace of insider threats. Continuous verification reduces the window of opportunity available to any hacker.

A spin-off benefit is improved compliance. Zero Trust’s core approach, such as the principle of least privilege, is in sync with data privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA.

At the same time, implementing Zero-trust requires a lot of strategising and planning. Zero-trust is an approach, not a set of tools, which one can install and get the desired results. Getting it right requires deploying the right set of security tools suitable for the specific network and configuring them correctly.

A proven technology partner such as CloudFare can simplify zero-trust implantation for enterprises. Cloudflare One, a SASE platform, combines networking services with integrated zero-trust. CloudFlare’s ZTNA replaces traditional VPN, enabling enterprises to enjoy the benefits of VPN with Zero-trust safeguards. Cloudflare’s edge, with built-in Zero Trust security policies, visibility and performance allows network admins to centrally manage policies and inspect all traffic. It also reduces the enterprise’s reliance on high-risk SD-WAN, VPN, and MPLS connections.