Zero Trust Security — a Cautious move

We are all living in a Trust Free world where there is no concept of Trust worthiness, Moral Values & Self Discipline, the need of the hour is Zero Trust Security Architecture (ZTSA) for the Intra and Inter enterprise transactions / Interactions. With the new set of advancements there is none to trust (man, machine and material). The Boundaryless business model adopted by the current age businesses needs this ZTSA.

The New age companies can start with Zero Trust Security Model and enforce controls, but what about the long back established age old companies ? They need to revamp their existing Security setup to establish Zero Trust Security model. For all these organizations, the first step is, Zero Trust Security Maturity Assessment. Due to the mis-understood Agile delivery, the long established Enterprise Architecture group went irrelevant and it stopped functioning the way it should have been. The Group should have periodically assessed every architecture segments, industry trends, new technologies and renewed the models, but they failed to do so.

Trust Free World — Never Trust, Always Verify — Man or Machine or Material

The digital technologies are driving organizations to establish business beyond the enterprise and slowly it is becoming more of an inter-connected, partner-dependent new age business model. New age companies which are mostly delivering packaged services (collated from well established service offerings) have understood the criticality of Trust lessness (distrustfulness) and the associated impact on their business and they have started adopting Zero Trust Security model across their enterprise.

Zero trust security is a security model that requires organizations to verify and authenticate every user, device, and network connection attempting to access resources or data, regardless of whether they are inside or outside the organization’s perimeter.

Every organization should come out of the assumption that on-premise implementations are secure but not the cloud implementations. The traditional security model assumes that everything inside an organization’s network is safe and trusted, and only external connections need to be secured. Zero trust, on the other hand, assumes that nothing is trusted and everything must be verified before access is granted.

The zero trust model is based on several key principles, including:

1. Verification and authentication of every user, device, and network connection.
2. Granular access controls based on the principle of least privilege, which means that users and devices only have access to the resources they need to do their job.
3. Monitoring and analyzing all network traffic to detect and respond to anomalous or suspicious activity.
4. Encryption of data at rest , in Processing and in transit to ensure that it cannot be intercepted or compromised.

The concept of Zero Trust Security is built on a set of core pillars that provide the foundational principles for the security model.

1. Verify: The first pillar of Zero Trust Security is the need to verify everything and everyone that attempts to access the organization’s systems and resources. This involves verifying the user’s identity, device, location, and the security posture of the device. Verification can be achieved through multifactor authentication, device posture checks, and network traffic analysis.
2. Least privilege access: The second pillar of Zero Trust Security is to enforce the principle of least privilege access. This means that users are only given access to the resources they need to perform their job functions, and no more. This reduces the attack surface and minimizes the risk of unauthorized access.
3. Micro-segmentation: The third pillar of Zero Trust Security is micro-segmentation, which involves dividing the network into small, isolated segments to limit the potential impact of a security breach. This reduces the risk of lateral movement of an attacker from one segment to another.
4. Network security: The fourth pillar of Zero Trust Security is network security, which involves protecting the network with strong encryption, segmentation, and access controls. Network security solutions such as firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and virtual private networks (VPNs) can be used to implement Zero Trust Security.
5. Continuous monitoring and analytics: The fifth pillar of Zero Trust Security is continuous monitoring and analytics, which involves analyzing user and device behavior to detect and respond to potential security threats. This includes real-time monitoring of user activity, device posture, network traffic, and threat intelligence feeds.

Zero Trust Security is based on a set of guiding principles that provide the foundation for its implementation. These principles help to ensure that the security model is effective in mitigating the risk of security breaches and protecting sensitive data.

A Zero Trust Security maturity assessment is a process that organizations can use to evaluate their current level of readiness and maturity in implementing a Zero Trust Security architecture. This assessment helps organizations identify areas where they may need to improve their security posture and develop a roadmap for implementing additional security controls.

The following are some key steps involved in a Zero Trust Security maturity assessment:

An organized approach to this ZTST is to build a framework, which drives the security and access is only granted on a need-to-know basis and only after the requesting entity has been authenticated and authorized.

To implement a Zero Trust Security framework, organizations typically follow a set of best practices. These include:

Some of the key decisions that organizations need to make include:

1. Establishing a Zero Trust mindset: Organizations need to adopt a Zero Trust Security mindset and develop a culture of security that prioritizes the principle of least privilege and continuous monitoring of network activity.
2. Identifying and classifying data: Organizations need to identify and classify sensitive data and determine how it will be protected. This involves evaluating data access requirements, establishing data handling procedures, and implementing appropriate encryption and data loss prevention mechanisms.
3. Implementing identity and access management: Organizations need to implement a robust identity and access management (IAM) system to manage user and device identities and control access to resources. This involves implementing strong authentication mechanisms, such as multi-factor authentication and password policies, and defining and enforcing role-based access control policies.
4. Segmenting the network: Organizations need to segment the network into smaller, more manageable segments with appropriate access controls. This involves using network segmentation techniques, such as virtual local area networks (VLANs) and firewalls, to create security zones that limit the blast radius of a potential breach.
5. Implementing security controls: Organizations need to implement various security controls, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and security analytics platforms, to detect and prevent unauthorized access to resources. They should also use encryption to protect data both in transit and at rest.
6. Monitoring and incident response: Organizations need to implement continuous monitoring of network traffic and user behavior to detect any suspicious activity and respond to potential threats in real-time. This involves establishing an incident response plan and conducting regular security audits and vulnerability assessments.
7. Vendor and partner management: Organizations need to establish policies and procedures for managing third-party vendors and partners who have access to their systems and data. This involves ensuring that these entities meet appropriate security standards and adhering to strict access controls for their network and data.

Note: Instead of starting from Scratch — try to leverage , National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) — offered Zero Trust Security Framework

Below are the key steps that organizations should follow to implement a zero trust security model:

Creation of Zero Trust Security Model is not sufficient and it required to be socialized across the enterprise , introduced into the development and delivery process

Zero trust security model can be a complex and challenging process that requires careful planning, significant investment, and ongoing management. Here are some of the common challenges that organizations may face when implementing a zero trust security model:

1. Legacy systems: Security controls may be lacking in legacy systems and applications, making them difficult to integrate into a zero trust security model.
2. User experience: A zero trust security model can sometimes create a poor user experience, as users are required to provide additional authentication and may face more restrictions on their access to resources. In order to balance the need for security with the need to provide a seamless user experience, organizations need to find the right mix of security controls.
3. Interoperability: Zero trust security involves deploying a range of security technologies and solutions, which can create interoperability challenges. For example, different identity and access management solutions may not be compatible with each other, making it difficult to integrate them into a unified security environment.
4. COTS and Partner Systems : As we are living in a age of extended enterprise, introducing unified security controls involving relevant parties is a key challenge
5. Cost: Implementing a zero trust security model can be expensive, as it often involves deploying new technologies and upgrading existing systems. Organizations may need to invest in new hardware, software, and training to ensure that the security model is effective.
6. Complexity: Zero trust security can be complex, requiring organizations to manage multiple security solutions and policies till its maturity. This can create challenges for IT teams that need to manage and maintain the security environment as part of governance.
7. Resistance to change: Finally, implementing a zero trust security model can face resistance from some stakeholders who may be resistant to change. This can create challenges in gaining buy-in and support for the security model, which can affect its effectiveness. That’s where Top down push and Security Architecture team driven roll-out is the viable option with appropriate training and enablement.

Zero Trust Security is becoming increasingly important in the context of digital technologies, as more organizations adopt cloud computing, mobile devices, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. These digital technologies have increased the attack surface for cyber threats and made it more challenging to secure the organization’s network and data.

Here are some ways in which Zero Trust Security can be applied to digital technologies:

1. Cloud computing: Cloud computing has enabled organizations to move their data and applications to remote data centers and use cloud-based services. Zero Trust Security can be applied to cloud computing by enforcing strong authentication, access controls, and encryption to protect the data and resources in the cloud.
2. Mobile devices: Mobile devices have become a ubiquitous part of the modern workplace, and Zero Trust Security can be used to secure these devices. This includes enforcing strong authentication, device posture checks, and access controls to ensure that only authorized users can access the organization’s resources.
3. Internet of Things (IoT) devices: IoT devices are becoming increasingly prevalent in the workplace, and they present a unique security challenge. Zero Trust Security can be applied to IoT devices by enforcing strong authentication, access controls, and segmentation to prevent unauthorized access to the network.
4. Big data analytics: Big data analytics can help organizations identify security threats and detect anomalies in user behavior. Zero Trust Security can be used to secure big data analytics by enforcing strong access controls and encryption to protect the data and prevent unauthorized access.
5. Artificial intelligence (AI): AI is increasingly being used in cybersecurity to identify and respond to security threats. Zero Trust Security can be applied to AI by enforcing strong access controls, encryption, and monitoring to ensure that the AI systems are secure and not vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Some of the most common Zero Trust Security failures include:

Implementing a zero trust security model requires a shift in mindset and a significant investment in security technology and infrastructure. IAs i mentioned above it needs careful assessment within and beyond the organization, maturity level check, implementation plan with guiding principles and decisions supported by a security framework. Until unless the learnings from the industry and during implementation is not accounted, it may introduce serious challenges and failures. The Organized, phased implementation approach with a unified vision is the key.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.