Zero trust security

is a form of cyber protection that checks every device on every connection. The model is very effective at preventing attacks, but it has its downsides too — most of which surface during implementation.

Zero trust security is a form of cyber protection that checks every device on every connection. The model is very effective at preventing attacks, but it has its downsides too — most of which surface during implementation. In today's article we'll look at those potential issues, and I'll also try to show how a proper Zero trust security setup should be deployed.

How does Zero trust security actually work?

It works on the assumption that everyone — every time — is a potential threat, and therefore needs to be checked. The core pillars of Zero trust security are:

·         Least privilege — the less data your account can reach, the less can be compromised through it.

·         Repeated verification — you're not just checked once; checks happen regularly, and if your behaviour looks unusual, you're booted off the network.

·         Micro-segmentation — the network is broken into many small parts, so if one part is infected, it doesn't infect the others.

What are the issues?

1.      Treating zero trust as a product — Zero trust security is a METHOD, not a product. You can't buy one piece and hope it'll save you. For zero trust to work as intended, you need the entire infrastructure built around the method.

2.      Trying to do it all at once — if you've decided this method suits you and you want to implement it, then (unless you're a really large company with serious money) I wouldn't recommend doing everything at once. It'll be needlessly expensive and complex. Start with what really matters and gradually roll it out to more parts of the company. You'll thank yourself, and your employees won't get overwhelmed.