Cybersecurity Zero Trust software is a security framework to protect an organization’s network against unauthorized access. No users can access the network’s data and applications without being authenticated and authorized for security configuration. Cybersecurity Zero Trust works for all network types and cybersecurity operating systems, whether local, cloud-based, or hybrid.
What is Meant by Zero Trust Security?
Cybersecurity Zero Trust, being a security framework, ensures safeguarding an organization’s critical data and infrastructure in the age of digital transformation by uniquely addressing business challenges. Cybersecurity Zero Trust secures remote and hybrid work cloud environments against ransomware threats. Organizations can align themselves with Cybersecurity Zero Trust by following vital standards and principles.
Contrary to the traditional network cybersecurity monitoring approach of “trust but verify,” implementing the Cybersecurity Zero Trust framework uses robust cloud technology and modern technologies, like next-generation endpoint security, identity protection, and MFA.
Cybersecurity Zero Trust verifies the hygiene of endpoints, email security, and data encryption before connecting to applications. The combination of modern technologies and robust cloud workload technologies are used to verify a user's identity or system and enable carefully considered access, summing up all the most critical elements of how cybersecurity really works.
The traditional network security approach risks the organization by automatically trusting users and endpoints within the organization’s parameters, which is a good starting point for cybersecurity. This model became obsolete as it allowed internal actors with legitimate credentials to get unauthorized access to sensitive information. Cybersecurity Zero Trust put an end to such risk-taking by requiring enterprises to track the attributes and privileges of users before allowing them network access.
Before a transaction is permitted, Cybersecurity Zero Trust incorporates the risk of the user/device and the requirement for regulatory compliance in accordance with cybersecurity KPIs and metrics. It asks for all of the service and privileged accounts of the user, and it can establish access and connection controls defining what the user can connect and where. Enforcement of Cybersecurity Zero Trust policies relies on real-time visibility of identity attributes, like user identity, type of credentials, endpoint type and function, firmware version, geo-location authentication protocol, credential privileges, etc.
Currently, 75% of all cyberattacks involve misuse of legitimate credentials in the network. The increasing identity theft and attacks against credentials require additional protections extending to email security and secure web gateway providers and is leading more people to pursue higher education in cybersecurity. Impersonation and identity fraud call for a greater need for Cybersecurity Zero Trust to ensure the integrity of accounts, security of passwords, and avoidance of high-risk IT services.
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll offer you personalized software recommendations.
What are the 3 Principles of Zero Trust Security?
For organizations to minimize the impact of security breaches and to contain attacks, evaluating their potential cyberattack pathways and their IT infrastructure, in general, is very important. Device types or group functions can be segmented and suspicious protocols should be limited to particular credentials to restrict their access. By implementing Cybersecurity Zero Trust, perimeters can be created using controls around some categories of sensitive data. Compared to overprivileged access, micro-segmentation provides enhanced visibility and control, especially in data breaches and security audits. The Cybersecurity Zero Trust model relies on the following three core principles.
Conduct Continuous User Verification
Cybersecurity Zero Trust has no trust for any user, credential, or device by default. Its primary principle is “Never Trust, Always Verify.” Therefore, Cybersecurity Zero Trust works on the ground principle of conducting strict user verifications and authentications before allowing users access to network resources. User credentials are verified through the device’s security posture authentication and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
Limit the Radius of the Attack Surface
The cybersecurity Zero Trust model considerably mitigates the risk that traditional network security models offer perimeter-based security or more basic cybersecurity management systems. The conventional model puts the entire internal network at risk in case of attack by any malicious cyber threat. However, Cybersecurity Zero Trust relies on micro-segmentation of the network and granting the least privilege access to restrict users to only the segments they have to work on. This enables lowering fraudulent cyber activities.
Enable Secure One-Click Access
A smooth user experience is the priority of businesses. Therefore, cybersecurity efforts are UX-focused. The Cybersecurity Zero Trust model facilitates a secure user experience through seamless one-click network access. It integrates Identity Provider (IDP), Single Sign-On (SSO), and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) capabilities to offer secure access to network applications and critical resources. Since the Cybersecurity Zero Trust model authenticates users and their device identities without routing their data through vendor-owned infrastructure, it ensures greater security and integrity of data. Cybersecurity Zero Trust also offers multi-device support for secure access to the network.
Why is the Cybersecurity Industry Adopting Zero Trust Security Model?
While the benefits of adopting Cybersecurity Zero Trust are many, the main reasons behind its industrial adoption are covered below. These are all important factors when comparing the best cybersecurity software systems and options on the market to pick the best protections for your business.
Minimize Organizational and Business Risk
A Cybersecurity Zero Trust strategy built upon cybersecurity best practices reduces the risk of cyber threats by continuously verifying the credentials of all communicating assets. It doesn’t allow any communication without verification and authentication by identity attributes. This is how industries use Cybersecurity Zero Trust to reveal the entities on their network and how they communicate, thereby reducing organizational risk.
Acquire Access Control Over Cloud Environments
Despite the advancements in cloud technology and cloud service provider security, the loss of data visibility still haunts security practitioners about switching to the cloud. A cybersecurity zero trust architecture applies security policies based on the identity of communicating workloads, providing tight security. This approach is unaffected by IP addresses and protocols. Therefore protection remains constant irrespective of changes in the working environment.
Lower the Risk of Security Breaches
Industrial networks are rich in critical and sensitive information. Therefore, they use Cybersecurity Zero Trust’s principle of least privilege and assume each entity as hostile. Each request to access is inspected, and permissions are assessed before the entity is ‘trusted.’ In the Cybersecurity Zero Trust architecture, an attacker with unauthorized network entry is incapable of accessing or stealing your data.
What Technologies Does Cybersecurity Zero Trust Require?
The industrial environment is continuously innovating with emerging technologies, and these new technologies can be leveraged to improve existing Cybersecurity Zero Trust capacities and introduce new ones. It can benefit from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and biometrics such as voice, facial recognition, and fingerprints.
By leveraging these technologies, Cybersecurity Zero Trust could benefit from the automation of threat detection and identification of anomalies in real-time and successfully take preventive measures rather than making reactive efforts. It is essential to use existing technologies and understand that they work synchronously with other technologies, not as standalone solutions.
Successful implementation of Cybersecurity Zero Trust requires keeping up with the latest technologies in the cybersecurity industry, such as taking measures to secure the shift to cloud storage and the use of IoT devices.
What to Remember About Cybersecurity Zero Trust
Zero trust is a principle-focused security framework designed within an existing cybersecurity strategy. Its basic principle is not to trust any user or device and to not grant access permission without thorough and strict verification. It enhances the cybersecurity efforts of enterprises by protecting networks and information from unauthorized access. Zero Trust can be fully utilized when used in the context of existing cybersecurity technologies.
