What is Zero Trust Model?

Zero Trust (ZT) is a data-centric cybersecurity strategy for enterprise computing that assumes no end-user, computing device, web service, or network connection can be trusted — even when an access request originates from within the organization’s own network perimeter.

The Zero Trust Model has evolved to take into account distributed computing and an ever-expanding attack surface. Unlike a single sign-on (SSO) strategy that allows users to log in once and access multiple network services without re-entering authentication factors, Zero Trust requires authentication factors to be verified — and re-verified — each time a network resource is requested.

Because untrusted threat actors exist both internally and external to a network, Zero Trust supports the following principles:

1. Never trust, always verify — Security decisions are made using all available data points. These include identity, location, device health etc.
2. Least privileged access — This includes just-in-time, just-enough-access, risk based policies etc.
3. Assume breach — Micro-segmentation, verify encryption, use threat detection tools to continuously monitor the perimeter.

These principles create a foundation on which the Zero Trust Model is built. A Zero Trust Model is the one that can support its mission while maintaining confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA Triads) requirements following Zero Trust principles mentioned above.

Benefits of Zero Trust Model

1. Less vulnerabilities.
2. Strong policies for user identification and access.
3. Smart segmentation of data.
4. Increased data protection.
5. Good security orchestration.

Challenges of Zero Trust Model

1. Time and effort to set up.
2. Increased management of varied users.
3. More devices to manage.
4. More careful data security.