Outdated cybersecurity policies tend to play too much defense and not enough offense. They prioritize building impenetrable firewalls, finding vulnerabilities, and patching exploits. These walled gardens are strong outside but completely unprotected inside. If these are the only moves in your playbook, it’s time for your team to learn about the Zero Trust approach to data security.
What Is Zero Trust in Cybersecurity?
The Zero Trust model is a cybersecurity strategy that emphasizes dynamic access control, user verification, and ongoing risk management. This framework’s foundation is in the name: Don’t trust anyone or anything by default, not even devices inside your network.
Zero Trust means making cybersecurity best practices an inherent part of your system. The chart below compares how the Zero Trust model and a traditional cybersecurity model handle common access scenarios:
| Scenario | Zero Trust Security | Traditional Method | Why Zero Trust Wins |
| The company CFO logs into sensitive folders. | The CFO must enter a user ID, password, and MFA code. | The CFO’s device is trusted, so access is granted right away. | Criminals often target executive devices with whale phishing. |
| A nurse station’s computer tries to access the hospital’s financial records. | The access attempt is blocked, and an alert is created. | A password is required, but internal network access is allowed. | Employees can be bad actors, too. |
| A remote employee logs into the company network from a mobile device. | Only files relevant to the worker’s tasks are available. | The device can access a variety of tools, apps, and folders. | Mobile endpoints are vulnerable to theft and malware. |
Zero Trust strategies can strengthen your organization’s security policies, network defenses, data storage processes, platform architecture, and employee cyber hygiene.
How Does Zero Trust Work?
The Zero Trust framework is based on four core security principles.
1. Always Authenticate and Verify
No user, device, IP address, or application should have free rein in your system. Instead, all account holders must go through the authentication process — every time — before accessing company records or resources.
In other words, system devices should be configured to never store login information, such as user IDs and passwords. Similarly, the network firewall configuration shouldn’t trust any traffic by default. Verification is still necessary for recognized IP addresses, frequent users, system admins, and supplier connections.
2. Monitor User Behavior and Network Activity
Making continuous network monitoring a requirement is another factor that sets Zero Trust apart from conventional cybersecurity approaches. Zero Trust infrastructure includes tools that analyze user behavior, devices on the network, and critical system assets in real time.
Network security can flag and block suspicious activity:
- Logins from unrecognized IP addresses or harmful sites
- Multiple failed login attempts
- Employees trying to access files from other departments
- Workers logging onto the network at strange hours
Today’s advanced system monitoring programs can store records of a user’s normal activity patterns. Any significant deviations set off warnings and require additional verifications.
3. Implement Least-Privilege User Access
Zero Trust security standards take a dynamic approach to privileged access management:
- Principle of Least Privilege: Employees only receive the absolute minimum access that is necessary to perform their job functions.
- Just-In-Time Permissions: User privileges and permissions to access sensitive resources only last for a limited time before being automatically deactivated.
- Just Enough Access: All users have to fill out a form and request permission before accessing critical data, installing software, or changing system settings.
- Role-Based Access Controls: Granted permissions are based on the user’s department and job description.
By using JIT and JEA principles, your organization avoids devastating network security errors, such as giving new hires access to payment card information or financial data. Role-based access controls help prevent lateral movement in data breaches.
4. Assume the Worst-Case Scenario
The last pillar of Zero Trust security is to assume a network breach at any given moment. In other words, IT teams should act as if the system has already been compromised.
How does this translate into day-to-day operations? A breach assumption mindset means:
- Taking seemingly minor compromises seriously
- Implementing cyber risk mitigation strategies, including JIT/JEA access control measures
- Segmenting network resources and files to limit the damage hackers can do
- Using real-time tools to flag suspicious behavior
- Acting immediately instead of taking a wait-and-see approach to potential breaches
These days, insider threats can be just as dangerous as cyberattacks from outside the network. Including Zero Trust principles in your GRC framework is both realistic and practical.
Why Is the Zero Trust Model Important for Enterprises?
A glance at recent cyberattack statistics reveals how vulnerable traditional cybersecurity is in today’s world:
- Over 50% of organizations experienced six or more insider attacks in 2024
- Software supply chain attacks caused $45 billion in losses in 2023
- The number of cyberattacks involving stolen credentials increased by nearly 75% in 2024
- Most corporate IT teams spend at least six hours every week patching vulnerabilities
- The SolarWinds software vulnerability affected approximately 18,000 customers
Once bad actors find a way past the outer security layer, many organizations are left fully exposed to data breaches, ransomware, and other cyberattacks.
Zero Trust works like a military base. There are robust defenses against outside attacks, but you also have a trained security force to patrol inside. All doors to sensitive areas have electronic locks, and there are cameras at access points. These measures mean intruders are more likely to be caught and stopped before it’s too late.
What Is an Example of Zero Trust Security?
To understand how the Zero Trust model works in practice, imagine a situation with “Brad,” a recently hired employee who had his laptop stolen. Here’s how Zero Trust should stop the attacker:
Minimum Access: Brad’s laptop is only authorized for basic tasks, such as clocking in, writing emails, and checking the status of customer orders.
Password Required: Not only is Brad’s laptop password-protected, but the work system also requires a separate user ID and password.
Multifactor Authentication: Trying to look at customer records requires an extra security step via MFA. Unless the attackers also stole Brad’s smartphone, they’re out of luck.
Network Scanning: The system flags the login attempt because it comes from an IP address not associated with Brad’s account.
Activity Monitoring: The attacker’s actions don’t line up with Brad’s everyday tasks or office hours, so the system alerts admins to a likely breach attempt.
Microsegmentation: Even if criminals successfully hack Brad’s account in sales, they would need a completely different set of credentials to access financial records, legal documents, or network configuration settings.
These safeguards also help protect your organization against baiting attempts, software supply chain attacks, and network vulnerabilities because of older IoT devices.
How Do You Implement Zero Trust Infrastructure?
The Zero Trust security approach is outlined clearly in NIST Special Publication 800-207. This framework is mandatory for government contractors, the DoD supply chain, and federal agencies. Many Zero Trust controls also map to leading cybersecurity frameworks, such as ISO 27001 and HITRUST CSF.
Identify Your Zero Trust Architecture
Integrating Zero Trust with the risk management lifecycle starts with a comprehensive inventory of your system architecture. This strategy needs to apply to every corner of your organization, including:
- Users and identity verification systems
- Endpoint devices, such as laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and computers
- Applications (CRM tools, accounting software, EHR platforms, etc.)
- Network hardware, software, and resources
- Data and data storage
- IoT devices and legacy equipment
Risks to enterprise organizations also include cloud-based services. Your security must address the challenges of remote work, cloud storage, and cloud-based apps that don’t require local installation.
Stay Up to Date With Emerging Threats
The dynamic nature of Zero Trust security programs requires your organization to be adaptable and risk-aware. System analytics helps you identify areas for improvement and correct worrying trends before they become more serious.
Improve User Authentication Controls
With social engineering attacks like pretexting on the rise, multifactor authentication is essential for secure user verification. Employees must meet two authentication criteria every time they log in: something they know (a password) and something they have (e.g., an authentication app on a mobile phone).
Minimize Usage of Administrator-Level Accounts
No one individual should have all the keys to your kingdom, not even CISOs or IT managers. IT heads with administrator access should have secondary accounts with limited permissions. These lower-level accounts should be used wherever possible for day-to-day maintenance activities.
There are times when admin permissions are necessary for network security, but there should always be a paper trail and strong authentication.
Enforce Device Logouts and Periodic Re-Authentication
User access permissions should only be granted on a limited, per-session basis. Only role-relevant resources should be accessible, ideally limited to recent activities.
When starting a new session or accessing a new group of files, users should re-authenticate. The session should end after a certain period of inactivity, usually 30 minutes or less.
Streamline Zero Trust Integration
It’s not realistic to expect total compliance with Zero Trust principles overnight, but your organization also can’t afford to drag its heels when implementing the necessary controls, policy changes, and technology. Simplify system adoption and create secure workflows with compliance management platforms like Compyl. Discover enterprise risk solutions that adapt to your organization today.
