Hackers can obtain employee credentials that are reused for multiple accounts or guess passwords that are easy to crack if they aren’t unique. To prevent threat actors from exploiting leaked passwords, businesses have been adding another layer to their cybersecurity — zero trust security.
The main purpose of this strategy is to decrease the chance of hacking by preventing this common attack vector — the exploitation of credentials.
What is zero trust security exactly, how to implement this principle in the infrastructure, and why is this principle replacing the traditional approach to security?
Let’s find out.
Trust, but verify
Zero trust is a principle that can be summed up as “trust, but verify”. Instead of assuming that everyone that has credentials and access via their device is a genuine user, the presumption is anyone attempting to penetrate the network is a potential hacker.
Over the years, zero trust has evolved as a concept, an idea that assumes that anyone could be a cybercriminal to a security model that can be added to an organization’s security posture.
Businesses that secure their assets with zero trust security use this approach to question any user, device, or system within and outside the security perimeter.
As a result, it discovers unauthorized access to the devices early and takes a lot of legwork from IT teams.
Instead of having to spend their time discovering which user’s credentials might have been misused in a breach, zero trust eliminates that possibility early.
This removes one of the major gaps in the traditional approach to security — undiscovered hackers on the premises.
The systems that didn’t verify the users every step of the way meant that it enabled hackers to remain within the network for months.
During that time, they could have monitored the work of the company, collected data, and altered the information within the infrastructure.
Which assets have to be guarded with zero trust?
What should be additionally guarded with zero trust? Companies use this model to implement it on:
- Devices
- People
- Sensitive information
- Networks
To protect devices that are used for work, the zero trust model treats all of them as if they are a potential threat. This strategy allows security teams to isolate devices that have been compromised and mitigate any hacking attempts.
Considering that one of the major culprits for breaches are weak and stolen passwords, a majority of the zero trust is oriented toward preventing this human error from compromising the company.
Therefore, protecting people means enforcing stronger authentications and not relying exclusively on credentials as a security measure.
Securing data that is shared within the network includes identifying sensitive data and knowing where it is within the infrastructure at all times. That is, it requires mapping the information and restricting access to it.
Zero trusting the network refers to segmenting it into several parts and carefully monitoring the lateral movement and the most valuable assets of the organization.
How to integrate zero trust with existing security?
Implementing zero trust in security is possible with these techniques:
- Restricting the level of access based on the role
- Multifactor authentication for users
- User behavioral analytics
Restriction in the access that is granted to different employees means that workers can use the parts of the network they need to do their daily tasks.
Multifactor authentication enforces zero trust when a user is attempting to log into their account by requesting it to prove their authenticity in numerous steps.
Analysis of typical behavior of users helps security teams to pinpoint what is regular for the members of the teams or customers who log into the system. That information is compared all the time to register whether there is a sign of unwanted activity.
For security analysts, this means that the information can aid them to discover zero-day threats within the system and fix the flaws early before they escalate into incidents for the organization.
Monitoring and analyzing activity
The latest developments in zero trust security models include automated solutions. Once it’s set on top of the security that businesses already have, the tool applies the key principle of zero trust.
Besides continually running in the background, it also utilizes machine learning and artificial intelligence to monitor and analyze regular activity within the network.
As a result, it can raise red flags based on movements and the use of credentials is normal for the system it regularly tracks.
For example, as it analyzes the activity within the network, it can notice that employees are using its credentials to access the network outside their working hours.
Why do companies need zero trust security now?
Zero trust has been gaining a lot of momentum because of the rise of remote work. Most businesses have shifted to the cloud — a technology that enables teams to connect to the company’s network.
Although remote access is convenient, if left unprotected, it can result in major incidents because this is also the system through which sensitive data passes.
This new way of working has widened the attack surface because it has increased the number of attack vectors. More entry points for hackers mean they have a greater chance of discovering weaknesses within the system and exploiting them to get into the network.
For instance, hackers can attempt at accessing the network using weak or leaked passwords.
Since many companies intend to keep telecommuting either in hybrid or complete form, they need strong security to protect the people, data, and systems they need for their daily work.
Therefore, zero trust has an integral role in securing organizations that are adjusting to the latest trends in the way we live and work.
