In the past, trusting internal users and devices was enough. Astute cyber defense methods meant establishing a strong, resilient perimeter around those inside an organization’s network. Nonetheless, changes in the IT and work-related landscapes have made this approach insufficient. Cybersecurity threats can just as easily come from the inside and outside.
Hybrid or remote work, cloud-based applications, bring-your-own devices (BYOD), and vendor partnerships have increased the risk of insider threats. Traditional cyber defense standards can’t address the ways threats emerge from these realities. A zero trust architecture, where no user or device is permanently trusted, can. Here are the detailed reasons zero trust is becoming the new standard for cyber defense.
Emerging Vulnerabilities
Cybercriminals constantly look for new ways to gain unauthorized access to targeted networks. This means they’re also endlessly discovering ways to exploit software and device vulnerabilities. It’s great if the discovered threat has an available patch. You install the update, protecting your network from an attack.
However, there are cases where a simple update isn’t available. A zero day vulnerability is a backdoor to your organization’s sensitive data a cybercriminal can’t wait to find. It’s a bug developers haven’t found or created a patch for yet. There isn’t a lock for this door, although developers may be scrambling to make one.
Without a zero trust architecture, there’s nothing to prevent cyber criminals from walking right in. Yet, zero trust methods can stop attacks via new vulnerabilities from getting very far. These practices mean applications, scripts, libraries, and executables aren’t automatically trusted. You can create a list of software on an “allowed list” while preventing those same applications from certain actions. Examples include modifying the registry and using the command prompt.
Even if malicious actors exploit zero day vulnerabilities, the damage they want to do will be thwarted. It will be stopped completely or the damage will be mitigated. You don’t need to wait for a security patch’s release to be protected.
Complex Connections
Once upon a time, everyone who worked for an organization went into the office full-time. Despite the rise in return-to-office mandates, over one-third of U.S. employees work from home all the time. Another 41% follow a hybrid schedule where they only go into the office a few days a week. The rest of the time they’re connecting from external locations, including public Wi-Fi.
For organizations, this increases the complexity of managing external and internal threats. IT teams have limited to no control over an outside network. Nor can they physically police what external devices a remote worker might plug into a company-issued laptop. Not to mention, those working outside a company’s facilities have other devices connected to their home networks. Think smart gadgets, personal cell phones, and laptops they own.
Who knows what’s on these devices and whether they’re up-to-date? They represent additional points of entry to the company’s networked resources in the hands of a sophisticated cybercriminal. A zero trust architecture helps IT teams manage complex network connections they can’t physically control.
It assumes every connection and access request can’t be trusted, even if it’s from an internal user or device. Remote workers may already be familiar with the constant verification protocols. Just because you supply your credentials once doesn’t mean you’re in. You’re authenticating each time (or periodically at random) with your login and multifactor methods. A VPN connection isn’t enough to give you the green light.
Stricter Regulations
It’s no secret cyberattacks are increasing worldwide. Yet, it’s not just the number of successful attacks, but also the dollar value of damages that is concerning. The proportion of companies experiencing a data breach costing more than $1 million has gone up from 27% to 36%. This percentage increase is year over year.
While some organizations have deep pockets, damages above a million dollars are still a huge hit. And leaders report two of the top three sources of cyber threats come from cloud-based apps and connected devices. Cloud-based software is vulnerable because organizations rarely have full control. Vendors usually host the apps from their servers, sometimes retaining full management of security measures.
Nevertheless, industries like healthcare, still have to abide by strict data protection regulations. Laws like HIPAA mean organizations have to maintain a tight lid on who has access to sensitive data. Stricter measures, including monitoring and auditing, must go on. Zero trust architectures help ensure it happens regardless of how many cloud-based apps and devices are connected.
States like California have also already enacted stricter consumer privacy laws. Organizations can’t afford to get by with less than zero trust protocols. Otherwise, they’re gambling with potential penalties.
Stops Damage From Spreading
Zero trust methods allow you to segment portions of your network, cutting off access based on privilege level. Network segmentation leverages the principle of least privilege, which says users should only have the access they absolutely need. This principle can also be applied to connected devices.
Say an employee works in the nutrition department for a school district. The majority of their work occurs from devices located in a particular building. The employee is not an IT admin and doesn’t help manage the department. They should have access to department and facility resources stored on the network, but not folders for managers. Similarly, the computers they use shouldn’t be able to navigate to resources managed by the IT department.
If a successful attack starts on a device in the nutrition department under a front-line employee’s login, it won’t spread. The criminals might compromise the device and the networked resources the employee can access. However, the damage won’t extend across the district’s buildings and applications when zero trust protocols are in place.
The Case for Zero Trust
As networks become more complex, the ways cybercriminals can pull off attacks increases. Tried-and-true defense mechanisms aren’t enough. Zero trust architectures establish more robust security protocols by assuming threats are lurking everywhere. Although more time-consuming and less convenient for insiders, zero trust can prevent the next intentional or unintentional attack.
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