The Zero Trust strategy follows the principle: “Trust is good, control is better” — all access requires prior authentication. Learn how Zero Trust works and protects businesses.
What Is Zero Trust?
The zero trust strategy is an IT security concept based on the principle of trusting no one and nothing without prior authentication. The aim is to strictly control access to resources by verifying every identity - whether user, device or process - and allowing it for a limited time.
Good To Know: What Zero Trust Is Not
It is not a ready-made solution that is implemented once and then completed. Rather, Zero Trust is an IT security concept that follows an overarching principle: Nothing and no one may be trusted without authentication, i.e. without establishing their identity - be it a device, a person or a process. If the check is successful, access is granted, but this is limited in time and only includes those resources (e.g. applications, drives) that have been expressly approved for the respective digital identity.
Who Is the Zero Trust Strategy Intended For?
The Zero Trust strategy is primarily aimed at companies that want to protect access for their employees. The aim is to protect sensitive company data and resources from unauthorized access by constantly checking every access to the network and applications - regardless of the employee's location or role.
In the area of customer identity, such as e-banking, every customer is considered potentially insecure. This is where Zero Trust is particularly evident: users must authenticate themselves every time they access their account to ensure the security of their data.
How the Zero Trust Strategy Works
The zero trust strategy works by considering all users, devices and applications inside and outside the network as potentially insecure. This approach assumes that threats can come from both inside and outside the network and that any access is only granted after comprehensive verification.
For more helpful articles covering essential fundamentals, take a look at our Fundamentals Overview.
Important Functional Principles:
Identity-based Authentication: Users and devices are authenticated with multiple factors before being granted access to resources.
Minimization of Access Rights: Access is restricted to only what is necessary, which is known as the “least privilege principle”. This prevents extensive damage from occurring in the event of a successful attack.
Network Segmentation: By dividing the network into smaller zones, the data flow is strictly controlled and movements in the system are made more difficult. This helps to isolate potential attackers in the event of an attack.
Continuous Monitoring and Auditing: A core element of the Zero Trust strategy is the continuous monitoring of all activities and connections in the network. Through machine learning and behavioral analysis, the system can detect and block abnormal behavior at an early stage.
Automated decisions via PEP: The Policy Enforcement Point (PEP) combines the functions of PDP and EDP. It analyzes access requests in real time, checks their compliance with security policies (PDP function) and implements the decisions made directly by allowing or denying access (EDP function).
Conclusion on Zero Trust Implementation
Implementing a zero trust strategy is a continuous process that requires not only technological but also cultural adjustments within the company. With a step-by-step implementation and the integration of PDP, PEP and EDP, the security strategy becomes more flexible, robust and sustainably protected against modern threats.
Zero Trust offers a high level of security through continuous monitoring, but requires a gradual adaptation of existing systems. Companies benefit from increased trust in their security architecture, but must be prepared to continuously adapt their zero trust strategy to counter technological developments and threats.
