The tech-driven landscape has become lucrative for most cyber-attackers, hence the rapid increase in security issues. Today, most organisations of all sizes are facing ongoing battles to protect their systems and data.
More specifically, IT support London providers have confirmed that traditional security models – those that focus on perimeter defences – are no longer sufficient in mitigating modern cyber-attacks.
This leads us to why Zero-Trust has become an increasingly popular topic for businesses and security specialists. This article further unpacks what exactly is Zero-Trust and how it can assist your business.
Understanding Zero-Trust
Zero-Trust is a security structure that works on the principles of ‘never trust, always verify’. This means that in a zero-trust organisation, no user – not even the owner of the company – is assumed to be trustworthy. Every time that a user wants to access company systems or resources, they will be directed to verify their identity and authority to access these files. This shows that Zero-Trust is very closely linked to the security principles of Access Control (which requires that users only have access to the resources that they directly need for their line of work).
Traditionally, many business’ security structures relied on a perimeter-based model. This approach assumes that once a user has verified themselves at the perimeter, they are believed to be trustworthy.
Unfortunately, there are many types of modern cyber-threats that consider this ineffective. The advancement of insider attacks, persistent threats, identity theft and so much more, makes it known how many ways these vindictive attackers can surpass a company’s perimeter where they can take and do whatever they want. This act is well understood within the tech sector, proving that managed IT services London providers recommend the use of security models like access control, multi-factor authentication, network segmentation, and Zero-Trust.
The Benefits of Zero-Trust
There are many valuable opportunities to adopting a zero-trust model of security. Some of these key benefits include:
- Improved Security Posture
Zero-Trust models encompass an intricate set of solutions that connect to make a business’ overall security posture more secure.
It becomes increasingly difficult to attack a company’s network if the following practices are included: multi-factor authentication, network segmentation, encryption, and identity and access control.
- Protection Against Insider Threats
Insider threats are a considerable risk to businesses. They may be spiteful, or unintentional – due to negligence or user error. Either way, Zero-Trust is an effective way that lessens the risk of insider threats.
A traditional security model – that assumes all users have access to the organisation beyond its perimeter – is incompetent in identifying insider threats. Whereas with Zero-Trust models, all users, at every level are subjected to the same level of inspection.
- Reduction of Lateral Movement and Privilege Escalation
When vindictive attackers infiltrate the perimeter of an organisation, the typically attempt to move laterally within the company’s network and systems – the goal being to escalate their own privileges within the network.
Many businesses that have worked alongside Microsoft 365 Consultants have had success with the Zero-Trust approach, specifically because it allows organisations to compartmentalise their networks, and apply strict controls and authentication requirements for each section. This means that it is more difficult for attackers to move laterally within a network, because users must first prove their identity and access permission at every single-entry point.
- Improved Incident Response and Detection Capabilities
Due to the compartmentalised nature of Zero-Trust environments, it is much easier for organisations to detect, respond to, and contain a threat that has crossed their perimeter.
In addition to the compartmentalisation, Zero-Trust implements continuous and detailed monitoring, which includes metrics such as network traffic, user behaviour and system logs. This monitoring allows organisations to quickly identify irregular activities and investigate them to establish whether they are vindictive or not.
In today’s tech-driven landscape, we have identified the importance of cyber-security and the effect it can have on a business. It is paramount that companies do their due diligence in acting on these threats and implement the necessary tools to alleviate the risk of further cyber-theft.
The Zero-Trust approach has deemed to be the most effective in many aspects, not only due to the improved security posture and incident response, and protection against insider threats, but also because of the reduction of lateral movement within a network. These factors will facilitate in making it harder for vindictive actors to attack, resulting in a more robust security system for businesses.
