Technology advancements are swiftly converged into our daily lives, for better and for worse.
The digital age has enabled the strengthening of processes that didn’t exist before in history. While we’re often pleased to hear about how innovations improve our experiences, we think about the other side of the coin where professional criminals invent methods of their own as a weapon against the masses.
Have you ever been notified that your password has been compromised, or received a phishing email that looked a little too real as it included your true personal information? Have you seen news about large companies being hacked for ransom? The numbers show data breaches and hacking has become more common, increasing by 70% globally in 2022 according to Infosecurity Magazine. The traditional IT model where an organization sets employees to “trust” status becomes ineffective if their credential or network were to be compromised. If an attacker were to obtain your key, you wouldn’t want this key having access to all doors.
As the world evolves, so does the security industry. To combat new threats, new strategy must be implemented.
Zero Trust is the powerful strategy for true protection in our digital world. The concept of this security framework is that all persons, regardless of rank inside or outside an organization, must be authenticated before trusted. The system will never deem any person, device, or element with default trust and instead requires multiple layers to pass before a green light to access is given.
Cyber criminals and bad actors will notoriously find ways around outdated legacy systems and make repeated attempts to search for the least-resistant route to penetrate. With enterprises operating on multiple internal networks, remote offices, and cloud services, our modern day complex operations create vulnerabilities with multiple routes to pursue.
In Special Publication 800-207 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an organization under the U.S. Department of Commerce, they state, “the complexity has outstripped legacy methods of perimeter-based network security as there is no single, easily identified perimeter for the enterprise. Perimeter-based network security has also shown to be insufficient since once attackers breach the perimeter, further lateral movement is unhindered.”
The way we operate as a technologically advanced society is complex. However, with Zero Trust, you can play on the offense side rather than defense. This is achieved by the pillars that are deployed for a Zero Trust security architecture.
- Multifactor Authentication: The requirement of multiple keys in order to pass, beyond just a username and password.
- Time Sensitivity: Access is granted on a per-session basis for a limited time. If any credential becomes compromised, it expires and will limit the amount of damage that can be done.
- Identity Security: Members of an organization are defined and validated uniquely.
- Device Endpoint Security: Validation of devices whether user-controlled or autonomous devices.
- Assets: Everything is considered an asset. Secure and protect your data base.
- Dynamic and Strict Enforcement: Continual monitoring with reauthentication throughout user transactions.
- Network Segmentation: Creation of smaller, more secure networks. If a breach occurs, the field is limited.
- Continuous Monitoring and Threat Detection: Trust renewal becomes part of your policy. Have a plan for risk assessment and block when a threat is detected.
By focusing on the user, device, and risk through Zero Trust, even multiple keys cannot provide a free for all if stolen. Threats can be consistent and repeated, therefore by reducing the potential routes of breach will limit your overall risk level. Zero Trust makes managing access easier, cost effective, improves user experience, and best of all, heightens security.
Traditional firewalls are not enough to keep current technology weapons mitigated. Instead of hoping nothing happens, sophisticated trained software is effective against such intrusions. Utilizing a security framework that equips the Zero Trust principles is more important than ever when protecting your operational assets and digital infrastructure. Zero Trust does not discriminate and vets all.
How do you empower Zero Trust in your business?
Just like ReconaSense, risk-based physical access control enables the enforcement of zero-trust policies across physical facilities. Implementing a security platform that can determine real-time threat levels and switch protocol based on these results is a Zero Trust power partner. When it sees a risk and adapts, it closes the window of opportunity for a breach. Think of it like a leaky pipe or dam- more holes, more spill. When the cracks are sealed, you are no longer worried about a flood. Threat mitigation is what will effectively stop an incident before it’s too late.
Manage risk. Authenticate all. Reduce threats.