The importance of a Zero Trust Architecture: An Introduction and Overview

In cybersecurity world, Zero Trust security is considered as a stepping stone.

Zero Trust Architecture is considered to be the most efficient and best practice for Cybersecurity infrastructure.

A Zero Trust Architecture is a method of designing cybersecurity infrastructure and network according on the basis of Zero Trust Architecture.

In general, network security is very relevant to data access and must consider all options.

The old model of keeping the bad guys out and letting the good guys in via better firewalls has no longer been a successful preventive strategy.

Modern challenges require modern solutions.

The Zero Trust Model was introduced to mitigate threats that are arising in the cyberspace. Organizations should never trust anyone without verification without taking into account that the request is from within the organization or it is an external request.

The need for Zero Trust architecture

In conventional methods, any user who requires access to resources, had to show credentials in order to gain trust of network.

The traditional approach of “castle and moat” requires setting up a perimeter defense where the users’ credentials are checked. If they are matched to valid users’ list, the access is granted. However, still effective, there are many flaws with this system.

For example, if there is a server with an outdated software, it can prove to be a backdoor to the entire network on which it is hosted.

This happened recently and was reported on CNN where a single compromised password allowed the entire network to be vulnerable.

Once a hacktivist gets inside the network, he is free to move and roam around the network. He can also get his hands on various assets.

What is Zero Trust Architecture?

Zero Trust architecture eliminates the concept of data breaches.

The idea is to implement a strategy of “never trust, always verify”. It is achieved by network segmentation, implementing layer 7 security and preventing lateral movement.

According to the makers of Zero Trust Model, trust is considered as a vulnerably.

In Zero Trust model, all network requests are catered as if the network has been compromised.

Thus, simple requests are also considered as threats.

Another way to look at this is that your guilty before proven innocent effectively.

Components of Zero Trust Architecture

The protect surface:

In Zero Trust architecture, there needs to be an identification of a “protect surface”. It consists of the critical assets, valuable data, applications and services.

It is termed as DAAS. For every organization, protect surfaces are exclusive to each organization. It is made up of only all the valuable assets of the organization.

The protected surface is always smaller than the attack surface.

The protect surface can identify how traffic navigates across the organization. The traffic is analyzed in terms of protecting the surface.

Once the system understands who the users are and how are they verified, it is essential to determine that what the users are up to, how are they connecting for the implementation of an enforced policy.

Such a policy ensures Secured data access to your company’s core assets.

Micro perimeter:

At the core of Zero trust is the application of Micro perimeter of control around critical assets.

Once the interdependencies are understood well between DAAS, services, users and the infrastructure the controls have to be put in place close to the protect surface.

So wherever it goes, the Micro perimeter moves with the protecting layer.

The idea of this is to make sure the attack surface is reduced and lateral movement is prevented to the max.

Segmentation gateway:

Segmentation has become foundational in order to prevent data breaches. A micro perimeter is created with the help of a segmentation gateway.

Think of it as a next-generation firewall that makes sure only legitimate applications and traffic have access to protect layer.

The segmentation gateway also enforces more layers of inspection. It also defines the Zero Trust Policy based on who, when, what, how and why.

Thus, it is the policy that determines who can access the micro perimeter at any point of time. This way, the critical assets are protected by unauthorized users.

So, once the Zero Trust policy is established around the organizations; protect surface, it is possible to monitor and maintain the assets in real-time.

More improvements can be made as per the dependencies evolve and can be tailored according to the real-world scenario. The segmentation policy

Zero Trust is location independent

These days, employees work for anywhere they are. In fact, data access requests can be made from any location like an airport, coffee shop, home, small branches etc.

Zero Trust architecture caters the fact that data can be accessed from anywhere, thus, the policy and the secured infrastructure continues beyond the office walls.

IT also covers multiple user devise and applications.

The Right users need to be given the Right access they deserve.

Zero trust requires a consistent approach of monitoring and enforcing controls to be delivered via the cloud.

Since the entire architecture is software defined, there is secured user access and a mechanism to prevent data loss at all costs.

How to deploy Zero Trust?

Zero Trust is moving into the mainstream. NIST has a great whitepaper call Implementing a Zero Trust Architecture that you should take a look at before planning your deployment.

Being an architecture of its kind, it is generally perceived as a complex and costly process to deploy.

However, it is not the case. This do not require moving and ripping the existing technology, Rather, it is put in place with the existing architecture.

Some companies offer products that implement Zero Trust Architecture.

These products help to make the shift to a Zero Trust security posture.

The Teams are enabled to move forward and cater all the challenges that they experience. The following 5 step methodology can be used to implement and maintain Zero Trust.

1. Identification of Protect surface
2. Mapping of transaction flows within the organization
3. Building the Zero Trust Architecture
4. Create and finalize a Zero Trust policy
5. Monitor and maintain the Zero Trust components

NIST’s Zero Trust Roadmap

In 2018, there came out a NIST Special Publication 800–207, Zero Trust Architecture that provides abstract definition of Zero Trust Architecture. It also defines a roadmap to design systems that are based on Zero Trust best practices.

The steps defined are as follows:

1. Every data source is considered a resource as well as every computing service.
2. All communication has to be made secured regardless of the network physical location
3. To get access to individual organization, one can only get it via per-session basis.
4. A dynamic Policy determines whether or not the access to data and resources is granted. Many behavioral and environmental attributes are included. Some other factors like the nature of application or service, the state of client identity requesting the assets are also put into considerations.
5. It is up to the organization how to monitor and measure the integrity of all assets concerned to the organizations. The organization must also measure the security posture of those assets.
6. All authorization and authentication recourses are considered dynamic. Thus, they are strictly enforced before any access to resources is allowed
7. The organization must have enough information about current state of assets to tailor the Zero Trust Architecture. This requires collection of information about assets, communications, network infrastructure to improve the overall security posture.

Zero Trust Architecture for digitization

In modern days of digital transformation, security is considered a major challenge. As more organizations make the move to the cloud, migrating data and assets to the cloud is a norm.

Thus, Zero Trust architecture caters the security of data that is being migrated. Implementing Zero Trust Architecture is just the beginning.

Organizations can now come up with strategies to implement new web services and cloud based services that comply with Zero Trust.

Zero Trust focuses on protecting data in a digital environment.

Thus we can say Zero Trust is a data-centric approach.

It works best if it is combined with a Multi-factor authorization. Data protection is needed when data is at rest and in transition. In this way, encryption and the concept of Primary keys is a cornerstone of ZTA implementation.

Final thoughts…

Zero Trust is a modern approach to network and cybersecurity.

In the realm of cyberspace, there are various ways how hacktivists can fool the networks and bypass packets that are malicious in order to exploit a vulnerability.

This is where Zero Trust security steps in. In the Zero Trust model, every request for network asset access is considered as a threat.

This model works on the idea to reduce the attack surface.

Software- defined Micro segmentation offers an agile method for isolation and segmentation of networks.

It provides a faster mechanism than a traditional VLAN firewall.

There are many products out there that enable the teams to move quickly and make the shift to Zero Trust model.

They help teams identify the core assets, perform segmentation and carry out a software defined approach to it.

With Organizations looking to improve new ways to make the security posture more accurate.

Using existing technologies and software-designed approach, Zero Trust model has emerged to be a successful approach towards better security standards and network asset protection.

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