How Does a Zero Trust Network Work?
Historically, perimeter-focused security models defined a trust boundary at the edge of the corporate network. Anything inside the boundary was extended a certain level of trust, while outsiders must be verified before being granted access to corporate assets.
A zero trust network constricts these perimeters to individual assets and implements strong authentication and authorization for every request, regardless of its source. Some of the key elements of a zero trust network include:
- Strong Authentication: Zero trust’s access decisions are based on the privileges assigned to a particular entity, which requires the ability to accurately identify the user, device, or application. To accomplish this, zero trust networks commonly use multi-factor authentication (MFA), secure sign-on (SSO), and other authentication tools.
- Micro-Segmentation: Network segmentation breaks a network into chunks based on business needs, providing visibility and control over traffic crossing these boundaries. Micro-segmentation defines boundaries for individual applications or servers, enabling zero trust to perform granular access management.
- Least Privilege Access: The principle of least privilege states that users, applications, devices, etc., should only have the level of privileges required to fulfill their role. A zero trust network will implement least privilege access controls, providing the full benefit of its granular access management.
The Main Principles Behind Zero Trust
Zero trust is a security model designed to replace the traditional perimeter-focused security model. The key principles of the zero trust security model include:
- Explicit Verification: The principle of explicit verification means that each access request undergoes authentication and authorization based on the user identity, device health, and various other factors.
- Least Privilege Access: Users, applications, and devices are granted the minimum permissions to do their jobs, which minimizes the risk posed by a compromised account or device.
- Assume Breach: Zero trust assumes that threats are already present within a network, so it doesn’t implicitly trust anyone and attempts to prevent lateral movement and minimize the potential impact of the incursion.
Benefits of Zero Trust
Implementing a zero trust architecture can provide various benefits to an organization, including the following:
- Enhanced Security: Zero trust performs strong authentication and authorization for each access request. This helps to prevent unauthorized access to corporate resources, making it more difficult for an attacker to achieve their goals.
- Improved Visibility: Zero trust individually authorizes each access request on a case-by-case basis. This provides improved visibility because the organization can see every attempt to access one of its applications or resources.
- Scalability and Flexibility: The zero trust security model makes no distinction between requests originating from inside vs. outside the organization. This makes it easy to secure remote workers, new cloud services, and other external systems.
What is Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)?
Zero trust network access (ZTNA) is a security solution that helps to implement a zero trust network. ZTNA provides secure remote access to corporate networks and resources based on a user’s identity, device security posture, and other features. With ZTNA, users can only see resources that they can legitimately access.
ZTNA achieves these goals by using various security technologies. These include secure network tunnels, strong user and device authentication, and access management systems to implement the granular, least privilege access policies.
Implementing Zero Trust Network Access
Implementing a zero trust network is a multi-stage process including the following steps:
- Define the Attack Surface: To protect the corporate network, you need to know what you are trying to protect. This involves identifying the systems in the corporate network that should be managed under the zero trust policy.
- Plan Network Traffic Controls: The various IT assets and resources in an organization’s network are interconnected. To manage access to these resources, it’s necessary to map these relationships.
- Architect the Zero Trust Network: After identifying the attack surface and interrelationships between the resources, it is possible to architect a zero trust network. This involves deploying solutions to create the necessary trust boundaries to protect various corporate assets.
- Create Policies: With the network infrastructure in place, the organization can define access policies. These should be based on the principle of least privilege, limiting access to only what is needed.
- Monitor via Reports and Analytics: After ZTNA is implemented, an organization’s needs may evolve. The security team should perform ongoing monitoring to identify potential issues or security incidents.
Zero Trust Network with Harmony Connect
Implementing zero trust can dramatically improve the security of an organization’s network and IT resources. By implementing granular, least privilege access controls, an organization manages unauthorized access and lateral movement of threats across the network.
ZTNA provides an effective way to implement zero trust for the corporate network. To learn more about what to look for in a ZTNA solution, check out this buyer’s guide.
Check Point Harmony Connect offers ZTNA capabilities as part of its integrated network security suite. With Harmony Connect, organizations can implement secure access for their remote workforce.
