Identity-based threats have become a major source of attacks and data breaches. As a result, organizations today require improved identity awareness and new threat mitigation strategies, which is best achieved by implementing an identity-based Zero Trust approach. Below are the basics of how the Zero Trust model works and best practices for implementing it effectively.
The Zero Trust model is a security approach based on the idea that organizations shouldn't automatically trust everyone inside or outside the infrastructure perimeter. Instead, every entity or user trying to access the system must verify themselves.
What is Zero Trust?
As a security framework, Zero Trust replaces the idea of a network edge. It focuses on securing network infrastructure, whether it is on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid. The framework requires that all users and entities attempting to access the network must be authenticated and authorized before they can access any resource, data, or application.
Security doesn't end when you enter the network. Users' sessions must be regularly monitored and their identities routinely verified to maintain access. This approach addresses challenges like securing workspaces with remote and hybrid workers.
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Read the best news from B2B CYBER SECURITY once a monthWhich organizations benefit most from a Zero Trust approach
When the infrastructure model includes:
- A multi-cloud, hybrid, or multi-identity infrastructure
- BYOD or unmanaged devices
- SaaS applications
- legacy software
If the company faces the following challenges:
- Lack of qualified SOC expertise
- Compliance Requirements
- Lack of threat visibility
If the organization is at high risk for the following attack vectors:
- Insider threats
- Attacks on the supply chain
- Ransomware
If service providers or other third parties work within the company network:
- The company needs to protect remote workers accessing public cloud resources.
- The company's line of business uses IoT devices, such as sensors.
Organizations with diverse use cases can successfully implement Zero Trust by tailoring it to their specific needs, digital transformation challenges, and security strategy.
How Zero Trust Authentication works
Implementing a Zero Trust authentication framework in an enterprise requires the combination of different technologies, including identity protection, endpoint security, risk-based identity management, data encryption, and multi-factor authentication. In addition to combining technologies, the framework must be implemented on a robust cloud infrastructure to enable continuous verification.
Continuous monitoring and authentication are the core requirements of a Zero Trust architecture. To achieve this, organizations must enforce policies that address user and device risk levels and compliance requirements. This means that both the users and the devices that have permissions and attributes during the session must be continuously authenticated.
Build zero trust architecture
To build a Zero Trust architecture, organizations must first identify the network's critical resources, users, services, and data. This allows them to prioritize and create security policies.
After identifying the critical resources to protect, the next step for organizations is to figure out which users are using which resources. Implementing a zero-trust authentication architecture requires mapping all privileged accounts and controlling what and from where they connect, requiring real-time visibility.
For this reason, it is not sufficient to verify identity only at the beginning of the session, since the user's risk level may vary during the session. Therefore, continuous validation of all access requests within this framework is a must. To achieve continuous authentication, Zero Trust policies control user and application identity attributes, such as:
- Credential Privileges
- behavior pattern
- user identity
- Risk levels in authentication protocols
A comprehensive Zero Trust architecture encompasses users, applications and infrastructure:
- User: The framework must authenticate user identity and the integrity of the user device while enforcing the principle of least privilege for all systems.
- Applications: By applying Zero Trust to applications, apps are assumed to be untrustworthy and their behavior needs to be continuously evaluated.
- Infrastructure: Everything in infrastructure, from routers to IoT devices, should be zero-trusted.
Zero Trust use case: Security breach at Capital One
The security breach at US financial services firm Capital One in 2019 is a good example of unauthorized access. A former Amazon employee breached the database using her former employer's credentials. The cybercriminal stole more than 100 million consumer applications, resulting in the financial company being fined $80 million. This case demonstrates the importance of implementing zero trust and access management tools for hybrid and cloud environments. The cloud or hybrid environment is more robustly protected against unauthorized access by implementing a Zero Trust approach. A Zero Trust solution could have detected and prevented the hacking attempt as coming from a suspicious location and time.
Identity-based zero trust architecture using the right technologies
Implementing the right solution can simplify the transition to a Zero Trust architecture. It is recommended to have an identity threat protection platform that is specifically designed for real-time prevention, detection, and response to attacks that use compromised credentials to access targeted resources. Using innovative agentless and proxyless technology, this solution seamlessly integrates with all existing IAM solutions (such as AD, ADFS, RADIUS, Azure AD, Okta, Ping Identity, AWS IAM, etc.) and extends their coverage to resources previously could not be protected - for example homegrown/legacy applications, IT infrastructure, file systems, command line tools, machine-to-machine access and more. This effectively prevents identity-based attacks in dynamic and complex cloud and hybrid environments.
Identity-based attacks, in which cybercriminals misuse credentials to access resources, are one of the top threats to corporate security today. However, with an identity-based Zero Trust approach, security officers can significantly minimize the risk of a successful attack.
More at www.silverfort.com
About Silverfort Silverfort is the provider of the first Unified Identity Protection Platform that consolidates IAM security controls in corporate networks and cloud environments in order to ward off identity-based attacks. Through the use of innovative agent-free and proxy-free technology, Silverfort integrates seamlessly into all IAM solutions, standardizes their risk analysis and security controls and extends their coverage to assets that previously could not be protected, such as self-developed and legacy applications, IT infrastructure , File systems, command-line tools, machine-to-machine access and more.