Traditional security measures like perimeter security should no longer be an option for enterprise and organization-level security. Instead, businesses today need much more flexible and robust security measures to prevent inevitable data breaches and cybercriminal threats.
Enter Zero Trust Application Security.
Zero Trust is increasingly becoming the buzzword for businesses willing to invest in modern solutions to fight against advanced security challenges. This security model doesn’t trust any user/device inside or outside the network. Instead, it follows a “Never Trust, Always Verify” approach to secure business networks against online threats like malware by implementing robust security policies.
This article will help you with the fundamental Zero Trust principles to secure your network and applications.
Four Zero Trust principles for application security
A Zero Trust Application approach provides secure control over the access of the applications. Here are five principles it follows for the same.
1. Authenticate, then access
Most traditional security solutions follow the ‘Trust, but Verify’ approach. But the Zero Trust model doesn’t trust anyone, and each user needs to go through a multi-factor authentication process to access the network and its resources.
This prevents any unauthorized user from getting a direct path to authenticated applications and services. The authenticator is mostly powered by SMS, Email, and other TOTP-based authenticators.
2. Microsegmentation
Microsegmentation in Zero Trust application security for business creates isolated and secure zones in cloud deployments and data centers.
These distinct divisions into security segments help define flexible security policies for each segment/zone and minimize the attack surfaces.
3. Least privileged access model
In today’s remote working environment and BYOD, it’s not always possible to restrict application access to every organisationally controlled device.
But with the Zero Trust application architecture, you can allow only authorized users and devices pre-vetted by OSP to access the network resources and applications using their MAC and OS addresses. In addition, it ensures that the connecting devices are validated with the security compliance and audit policies before the access is granted.
You can also enforce and implement control over geographic locations, where users can connect and login using the Zero Trust Application Access (ZTAA) Agent.
4. Ongoing monitoring/verification
Even after the network and application access is granted to a user from a given device or location, ongoing monitoring of the user’s state and communication is needed.
Zero Trust Application Security makes it possible to implement a framework that helps avoid the exploitation of initially established legitimate users.
Conclusion
While perimeter security was effectively used earlier, it failed to offer network-level security like a Zero Trust Security Model. The Zero Trust Security principles work to ensure authentication, monitoring, and real-time visibility of the network traffic to prevent malicious and unauthorized entities from accessing and modifying the network applications.
InstaSafe Zero Trust offers secure and one-click access to network applications and protocols such as RDP, SSH with features like MFA, SSL, IDP, SAML via agentless or agent-based mode. Check out their services to ensure maximum network and application security for your business.
