Cyber News #3 - What is Zero Trust and its benefits

Nowadays, information #security is a frequent concern for companies of different sizes and segments. With the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, it is increasingly necessary to adopt innovative approaches to ensure the protection of data and systems. It is in this context, therefore, that the concept of Zero Trust arises.

Zero Trust is a cybersecurity model that focuses on not automatically trusting any user, device, network or application, regardless of whether they are inside or outside the corporate #network. Instead, Zero Trust requires that all attempts to access company resources be continuously verified and validated, whether before, during or after each transaction. All connections to the network are potentially dangerous, so internal and external threats must be treated with equal importance.

The implementation of Zero Trust is constantly evolving, requiring continuous investments in #technology, #training and user #education. However, adopting this model can significantly increase the organization's security and reduce the risk of data breaches and network compromise.

It includes some crucial steps that must be followed, such as:

1. Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): Common practice in the Zero Trust environment, which adds an extra layer of security so that all users and devices accessing the network are authenticated and verified, to ensure that only legitimate users have access. It is done through facial recognition, physical token, password, fingerprint, among others.
2. Continuous Monitoring: Constantly, all activities on the network must be monitored, as this includes detection and response to security events, as well as the regular assessment of user behavior.
3. Adoption of Encryption: End-to-end encryption is critical to data security at Zero Trust. It is used in preserving data in transit and at rest, as well as ensuring the integrity of that data.
4. Micro-segmentation: The network must be divided into smaller segments, each with a limited set of access resources. This reduces the attack surface, making the network easier to secure.
5. Policy-Based Access Control: With the Zero Trust model, access control is anchored in policies that will define who can access which resources and under what circumstances. These policies are applied in real time to all devices and users connected to the network and can be quickly modified if necessary.
6. Behavior Analysis: A technique is used to monitor all the behavior that the user and device may have, with the aim of detecting suspicious activities, as well as helping to identify unauthorized access attempts and also internal threats.

Benefits

Adopting Zero Trust helps improve the institution's security posture by increasing visibility and control over data and network activities. At the same time, it can be complex and require significant changes to the existing security architecture, as well as involve a #cultural shift that instills a data-centric security mindset. Implementation measures bring a number of benefits, such as:

• Increased security: The Zero Trust approach provides an additional layer of security that protects company data and resources. Because each access request is verified and validated, external or internal threats are less likely to gain access to sensitive information.
• Risk reduction: With Zero Trust, the risks of data breaches and other cyber threats are significantly reduced. Especially important for corporate networks that handle highly confidential information, such as financial services and governments.
• Improved regulatory compliance: Many government and industry regulations require organizations to implement strong data preservation security measures. Adopting the Zero Trust model helps meet these requirements and ensures that the company is in compliance with applicable regulations.
• Protection of confidential data: By limiting access to data to only authorized users and verifying each access request, the company guarantees that your information will be safe from any type of threat.
• Building operational efficiency: By segmenting the network and implementing layered security controls, the institution can more easily identify and isolate any security issues that arise, reducing response time and the potential impact of a security breach.

In conclusion, Zero Trust is an approach to #cybersecurity in order to protect against potentially malicious networks, devices and potentially malicious users who, therefore, must be assiduously scanned and allowed to have access to critical resources. Implementing the Zero Trust model is challenging, but with proper planning and a committed company, it is possible to provide a #safe and #reliable environment for digital business.

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