Companies must protect their valuable data resources from many threats initiated from inside and outside the organization. Businesses face danger from sophisticated external threat actors attempting to gain access to the environment to plant malware or steal sensitive information. Companies must also guard against deliberate and accidental insider threats.
Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) offers organizations a data protection method that addresses today’s complex threat landscape. Organizations protect their data from external and internal threats. By adopting a Zero Trust approach, companies can strengthen their data protection posture against all threats.
What is Zero Trust Security?
Zero Trust security is an approach to data protection that does not trust any entity by default. The Zero Trust mindset assumes threats can originate from individuals, devices, or applications inside or outside the network. All access requests, regardless of origin, must be verified continuously as an entity moves through an IT environment.
Several key principles form the foundation of Zero Trust architecture.
- Identity verification – The identity of all users, devices, and systems must be continuously verified at each interaction with the environment using strict authentication measures such as multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Least privilege access – Users and devices are granted the minimum level of access required to perform their tasks. Access must be context-aware and consider contextual aspects of the request, such as the device used and the time the request is made.
- Data encryption – Organizations must encrypt all data at rest and in transit to protect it if threat actors gain network access.
- Micro-segmentation – IT teams divide the network into small segments to limit the effects and spread of a cyberattack.
- Endpoint security – All endpoints must be secure before being given access to the network. Security measures can include health checks and specialized software like endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools.
- Continuous monitoring and verification – Companies must continuously monitor access attempts and activities within the IT environment to identify suspicious activity and dynamically enforce access controls.
How to Implement Zero Trust Architecture
Companies must adopt a methodical approach to implementing Zero Trust security. Best practices recommend the following steps.
Identify the protect surface
Companies must identify their protect surface, encompassing their critical data, assets, applications, and services. Zero Trust security focuses on protecting these assets, unlike perimeter-based techniques, which concentrate on network defense. The protect surface includes all essential corporate and customer data and business-critical applications.
Define access policies
Organizations must define clear access policies to safeguard all elements of the protect surface. The policies should define user roles and apply least privilege principles to limit access and permissions throughout the environment. Teams should develop flexible access policies to address changes in the environment and business requirements.
Implement strong authentication and authorization methods
Zero trust requires strong identity and access management (IAM) systems. Effective IAM authenticates users, devices, and systems before they are granted access to specific infrastructure components. Companies should consider techniques like multi-factor authentication to protect against compromised credentials. Security teams can implement adaptive authentication that allows access based on criteria such as the time or origin of a request.
End-to-end data encryption
Companies should encrypt all valuable and sensitive data at rest and in transit. Encryption protects data resources from being compromised or corrupted by unauthorized entities that bypass other security measures.
Micro-segment the network
Micro-segmentation is a technique that segments the network to limit the lateral movement of threat actors. Segmentation isolates potential threats and protects the security of the larger IT environment. Teams should define strict access controls for each segment and enforce them with tools such as firewalls.
Enforce endpoint security measures
Security teams must ensure all devices connected to the network are secure and align with the company’s cybersecurity policies. The devices must be protected with the most current antivirus and anti-malware software. Devices should be encrypted and monitored for suspicious activity with endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions.
Automate security workflows
Companies should automate security workflows for faster and more efficient threat response. Automated activities may include revoking access and quarantining suspicious devices to protect the infrastructure. Autonomous tools can adjust security policies in real-time to address emerging risks.
Monitoring and analytics
Security teams should implement monitoring tools to observe and log entity activity across the environment. Security personnel can leverage analytics solutions to detect abnormal behavior indicating an internal or external threat. Specialized software, such as intrusion and anomaly detection systems, can trigger real-time alerts or automated processes to address potential threats.
Continuous improvement
Zero Trust requires continuous refinement and improvement to keep up with the evolving threat landscape and business requirements. Teams should conduct audits to review the effectiveness of current security policies and identify potential vulnerabilities they can address.
User training
Companies should provide security awareness training to all employees and stakeholders. Everyone must understand Zero Trust concepts and how they apply to individual roles and responsibilities. Training should include educating employees to identify and avoid phishing and social engineering attacks.
Challenges to Implementing Zero Trust Architecture
Organizations may face several challenges when implementing Zero Trust.
- Zero Trust implementations can be complex for larger organizations or those that need to integrate legacy systems.
- Companies may need to invest in technologies and training, making costs a roadblock to implementation.
- Teams must balance security with disrupting the user experience by constant authentication measures.
How VAST Can Help
We understand the importance of protecting your business-critical resources with Zero Trust architecture. Our security experts can help your business implement the necessary components for Zero Trust security. We can conduct a thorough security lifecycle review to identify potential infrastructure and network vulnerabilities.
VAST’s managed public cloud service supports the strong security measures required by Zero Trust. Features of the service include:
- Cloud infrastructure and security assessments to identify areas that can be improved;
- Managed detection and response to protect your business from emerging threats;
- Cloud monitoring and management with VAST View to reduce risk.
Contact VAST today and let us help you protect your business with Zero Trust security.
