By
Shannon Flynn
Zero trust security is
gaining popularity quickly. According to one recent survey, 30% of global organizations have begun implementing these solutions, with another 42%
planning to in the future.
As the name implies,
these security architectures seek to maximize security by not inherently
trusting anything. They verify everything's identity and privileges before
allowing it to access anything, then only granting access to what a user or
device needs. As cybercrime and insider threats grow, more businesses may want
to implement zero trust architecture, but how to do so is less clear.
Companies that want to
implement zero trust security can break it down into three steps: separate,
authenticate and record. Here's a closer look.
Separate
The first step in setting
up zero trust architecture is to separate systems and data. The goal here is to
eliminate lateral movement, restricting networks so that someone with access to
one area can't move into another. Lateral movement is a factor in 70% of all cyberattacks, so this separation is crucial.
Organizations can begin
by determining how to divide their network. They should identify and organize
data according to its sensitivity and importance, seeking to isolate the most
critical data. After they know what should and shouldn't group together, they
should segment their networks along those lines.
Teams may find they need
to move to the cloud before this segmentation if they haven't already. Cloud
environments are ideal for zero trust security as they make it easier to group
and segment networks and data.
Authenticate
After separating data and
workflows into different sub-networks, security teams need to restrict them.
Any user, device or program that tries to access any of these segments must
verify their identity first. If they're not authorized for that area or can't
authenticate themselves, systems shouldn't allow them in.
Authentication techniques
should rely on multi-factor authentication (MFA) instead of more
straightforward methods like recognizing IP addresses. By 2025, 75% of the workforce will work remotely, at least part-time, making it harder to
verify workers' identities. MFA is the most reliable solution.
It's important to
remember that this authentication process should apply to devices, too, not just
users. MFA doesn't work with devices, so companies can use cryptographic keys
to grant and restrict device access.
Whether or not something
or someone has access to a sub-network should be contextual. Users and devices
will need some data or programs in some contexts but not others. Consequently,
zero trust security must understand what contexts do and don't grant different
parties access to various parts of the network.
Record
After segmenting networks
and implementing an authentication process, security teams should start
recording everything. Continuous monitoring is another core aspect of zero
trust security, as it helps identify and respond to unusual occurrences faster.
Companies should log all
activities on the network. They should know who tried to access what at what
time and from where every time it happens. These logs will provide a baseline
for unusual behavior, helping teams identify potential breaches when they
arise. Knowing how each user behaves can also help inform contextual access
policies and behavioral biometrics.
Since cybersecurity faces a growing labor shortage, according to Gartner, most companies likely can't afford
continuous manual monitoring. Thankfully, automated network monitoring tools
are readily available today. These technologies will help implement zero trust
security without high costs.
Zero Trust Security Could Become a Necessity
When zero trust security
first emerged, most organizations saw it as a helpful but not necessary
strategy. As more organizations have moved onto the cloud and cybercrime has
grown, that's starting to change.
Companies now know that
breaches can come from anywhere and that many systems are more vulnerable than
they seem initially. As such, zero trust architecture may be more of a
necessity than an advantage today. Follow these steps to keep your data as
secure as possible.
##
About
the Author
Shannon Flynn is a tech writer who covers
topics like cloud computing, business technology, and data. You can find her
work on Hackernoon, Cybint Solutions, Irish Tech News, and ReHack.com. Visit
ReHack for other trending tech topics covered by Shannon.