Zero trust security has a tradition of “trust but verify”. It is a necessary method they apply in the process. How to do it? We will know in this section.
Trust But Verify With Zero Trust Security Introduction
In the phrase “trust but verify”, trust is the positive relationship between two or more parties. Verify is monitoring and checking one or more parties’ actions and behavior.
In other words, if you trust someone, you are sure they are worthy of your trust. But you should verify that they are maintaining their words and promises.
It is the same in zero-trust security. The process starts with assessing your risk.
You can do it by integrating your current networks with a network security scanner to detect vulnerabilities. After you determine your risk level, you will know how many tools. And technologies to use to mitigate the risks.
The next step is establishing a baseline for all the following:
- Tools,
- technology, and
- processes in your environment
With this baseline, you can identify deviations from normal behavior by monitoring what others are doing on your network. As well as who they are communicating with.
You can also establish a baseline for user behavior by monitoring what users do on your network. Also, on how they communicate with others in the organization and outside of it.
It is crucial to mitigate risk when the user accesses confidential information or devices on your network.
How is The Implementation Process?
Zero trust security has been implemented in different sectors. Such as finance, healthcare, retail, and many others.
Let’s take retail as an example to illustrate how to implement zero-trust security in detail:
1. Assess Your Current Risk Level
You need to assess your current risk level and how many risks are connected to the network.
In the retail sector, the risk becomes more complex with new technologies. And it is hard to always detect vulnerabilities in the network.
2. Identify Which Devices You Need To Monitor
After you know your current risk level, you can identify which devices you need to monitor. For example, some of the most common devices are printers and scanners, as well as mobile devices. IoT devices such as sensors.
For mobile devices, you also need to be aware of mobile apps. And even smartwatches if they are on your network.
3. Set A Baseline Of Access Permissions
You need to establish a baseline for all the following: Tools, technology, process, etc. In other words, you set a policy for all users who want to access your network or any of its resources with an access point:
- If this policy is broken or deviated from normal behavior by any user or application. Then it could result in the loss of confidential information or data theft by hackers and cybercriminals.
- To mitigate this risk, make sure all users have their permissions set properly.
- For example, if they do not need to access certain files, remove their permissions to those files immediately. Or if they do not have the right to connect to a specific device on your network, revoke those privileges immediately.
- This will prevent malicious users from accessing your confidential information or data. Through authorized portals on your network or through authorized application portals