Best Practices for Zero Trust Data Security

As cloud computing, remote work, and AI transform business, organizations face increasing IT complexity and more sophisticated cyber attacks. Cybercriminals now use advanced tools to amplify their attacks, putting data security and business continuity at greater risk. 

This combination makes traditional, perimeter-based security policies ineffective at safeguarding an organization’s assets from potential threats. Organizations are adopting the Zero Trust security model, which was created to solve these issues by removing implicit trust and enhancing security visibility and control. Moving to Zero Trust is becoming increasingly essential for protecting organizations against modern cyber threats. 

Understanding Zero Trust data security 

The Zero Trust security model was created as an alternative to traditional, perimeter-based security strategies. By providing more detailed security visibility and access control, this model improves corporate cybersecurity and makes regulatory compliance easier.

What is Zero Trust? 

The Zero Trust security model eliminates the implicit trust of traditional “castle-and-moat” security architectures. Instead of implicitly trusting insiders, Zero Trust mandates that all access requests be explicitly validated based on least privilege access controls and contextual factors, such as IP address, device, timing, and more. Implementing Zero Trust enhances security visibility and control and reduces the risk of unauthorized access or lateral movement by an attacker. 

The evolution of Zero Trust in cybersecurity 

The term Zero Trust was coined by John Kindervag of Forrester Research in 2010 as a response to the limitations of traditional, perimeter-based security models. The castle-and-moat approach to security, where security tools are deployed only at the network perimeter, is blind to insider threats and attackers who have gained access to an organization’s environment via phishing, compromised credentials, malware, or other means. 

In addition to addressing key security threats, the Zero Trust model also adapts to the increasing number of IT resources outside the traditional network perimeter. The rise of cloud computing has moved sensitive data and critical applications to third-party environments, and remote work and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies allow access to corporate resources from untrusted devices and networks.  

Since its introduction in 2010, Zero Trust has evolved and achieved mainstream adoption.

Important milestones include: 

• 2010: Term Zero Trust coined by John Kindervag 

• 2019: Gartner increases Zero Trust visibility by integrating Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) into its new Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category 

• 2020: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) publishes SP 800-207, which lays out a framework for implementing a Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) 

• 2022: US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) mandates Zero Trust adoption for all federal agencies by 2024 

Comparing Zero Trust with traditional security models 

Historically, many organizations adopted the traditional castle-and-moat model with security solutions at the network perimeter. The Zero Trust model differs from this approach in several key ways, including: 

• Trust assumptions: The perimeter-based security model focuses on keeping threats outside of the network and assumes that all insiders are legitimate and trusted. In contrast, the Zero Trust model has no implicit trust and explicitly verifies all access requests, regardless of their source. 

• Network segmentation: In a perimeter-based model, firewalls are primarily deployed at the network perimeter, allowing unrestricted access inside the network. Zero Trust implements microsegmentation, placing a virtual perimeter around each IT asset to provide security visibility and enable access management. 

• Insider threat management: The traditional security model is largely blind to insider threats because they sit inside the hardened perimeter and can move laterally inside the network to access corporate assets. Under the Zero Trust model, a user can only see and access resources if they have the privileges needed to do so. 

Legacy security models only give an organization a single chance to identify a threat entering its network, and they overlook a growing percentage of a company’s IT assets. Relying on these approaches increases an organization’s exposure to data breaches, ransomware infections, and other common cyber threats. 

Zero Trust security benefits 

Zero Trust sets security perimeters to protect individual assets and perform robust authentication and authorization before granting access. Some of the key security benefits that Zero Trust can provide include: 

• Reduced attack surface: Under the Zero Trust model, a user can only see and access corporate resources if they have permission to do so. As a result, attackers have a reduced set of potentially vulnerable systems to target in their attacks. 

• Improved security posture: Zero Trust implements least privilege access controls and considers access requests on a case-by-case basis. This check enhances the organization’s security posture by eliminating implicit risk and providing additional opportunities to identify a potential attack. 

• Enhanced visibility: A Zero Trust architecture inspects every access request, regardless of its source. This feature provides deep insight into how an organization’s resources are being used, enhancing threat detection and the development of new security controls. 

• Stronger compliance: Regulations commonly require strong access controls for sensitive data and are increasingly pushing for Zero Trust access management. Implementing Zero Trust provides the visibility and control required to maintain and demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements. 

Core components of a Zero Trust architecture 

A Zero Trust architecture implements the key principles of Zero Trust within an organization’s IT environment and includes two key functions:  

1. Verifying that a user is who they claim to be. 

2. Determining whether a user should be granted access to a particular resource. 

The role of identity verification 

The main goal of the Zero Trust security model is to prevent unauthorized access to corporate data and resources. Confirming the identity of the user requesting access is essential to achieving this.  

A Zero Trust architecture may incorporate various controls to enhance identity management and protect against account takeover (ATO) attacks. Key methods include: 

• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Passwords are a notoriously poor form of identity verification due to the potential for weak, reused, and breached passwords. MFA enhances account security by requiring multiple types of factors for authentication. For example, a user may need to provide a password and a one-time password (OTP) generated by an authenticator app. 

• Multi-User Authentication: Multi-User Authentication, a feature unique to Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage, implements separation of duties to prevent a single compromised account from being used to perform high-risk activities, such as deletion of accounts or storage buckets. Multiple users must approve an access request, which protects against fraud, negligence, and ATO attacks. 

• Single Sign-On (SSO): SSO enhances usability and security by allowing a user to authenticate once to an authentication system and receive access to all corporate applications. Enabling SSO eliminates the need for users to maintain distinct credentials for each account. It also improves security by reducing the risk of password reuse and offering centralized visibility into all access requests for corporate resources. 

As corporate environments become more complex and attackers become more skilled at slipping through the cracks, maintaining a traditional network perimeter is a losing proposition. In the modern cyber threat landscape, identity is the new perimeter because differentiating legitimate users from potential threats is vital to identifying and remediating cybersecurity incidents. 

Implementing least privilege access 

Excessive permissions are a common security threat that companies face. Zero Trust addresses this problem by providing users with only those permissions needed for their role in the organization. Common methods include role-based access control (RBAC), which assigns privileges based on defined user roles, and attribute-based access control (ABAC), which grants access through attributes matched to access control lists (ACLs). 

Regardless of the method used to implement it, Zero Trust establishes highly granular access controls that lower the risk of insider threats. By limiting legitimate access, the security model restricts the systems a malicious employee or compromised account can reach and the potential damage they can cause to the business. 

Under the Zero Trust model, these least privileged access controls are reinforced by continuous evaluation of access rights. By explicitly validating access for each individual request, a Zero Trust architecture protects against session takeover attacks. Just because a user is authenticated doesn’t mean that they have unrestricted and unmonitored access to corporate resources.

Strategies for effective Zero Trust implementation 

Implementing a Zero Trust architecture is a multi-stage process. First, the team designs a system to implement and enforce least privilege access controls. Then, automations are implemented to sustain and scale the system in the long term. 

Mapping the protect surface and data flows 

To establish a Zero Trust security model, organizations must have a clear understanding of all corporate resources to appropriately map access based on user role and responsibilities. To implement least privilege access control: 

• Identify DAAS: Mapping the protect surface begins with identifying critical data, assets, applications, and services (DAAS) within the organization’s environment, which includes on-prem and cloud-based infrastructure and internal and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. 

• Map data flows: Organizations often struggle to consistently enforce security policies across hybrid and multicloud environments, a fact that attackers commonly exploit. Understanding how data moves and is accessed across environments helps secure it and define Zero Trust boundaries. 

• Define perimeters: Zero Trust uses microsegmentation to control access to sensitive resources. With a map of high-value DAAS and data flows, define microperimeters to ensure explicit, individual validation of all access requests for sensitive resources. 

Automating security policies and enforcement 

Zero Trust improves security visibility and control but requires more effort. Access policies must be customized for specific roles, and access requests are evaluated individually instead of employees being given unrestricted access to the corporate network. 

Automation is key to an effective and scalable Zero Trust deployment. Automated tools can help to provision and deprovision accounts, monitor for suspicious activity, and decide whether to grant or deny access requests. Additionally, automating key functions reduces the response time for security incidents and the potential for human error to introduce misconfigurations and other security gaps within an organization’s security architecture. 

Overcoming common challenges in Zero Trust adoption 

Adopting a Zero Trust security architecture is a significant undertaking, requiring significant changes to security architecture and access controls alike. However, these issues can be mitigated with the right tools and approach. 

Addressing scalability and complexity 

A Zero Trust architecture offers various benefits for the business, but transitioning from legacy infrastructure can be difficult. Besides gaining visibility within the traditional perimeter, an organization also needs to implement least privilege, RBAC. 

Implementing Zero Trust incrementally can help to ease this transition. Identifying a few high-value assets—such as those containing sensitive data protected under regulations—to deploy Zero Trust controls to transition first enables the team to roll out slowly and define processes and policies without the overhead of a full-scale rollout. 

Companies can also leverage existing tools to streamline the Zero Trust adoption process rather than trying to build it from scratch. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solutions manage access to corporate networks and resources while enforcing the principles of Zero Trust, such as explicit verification of access requests. 

Ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements 

Enhanced regulatory compliance is one of the primary benefits of implementing Zero Trust. Common regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), mandate that an organization control access to protected data. Zero Trust enhances an organization’s ability to do so by explicitly verifying every access request for protected data and resources. 

When designing a Zero Trust architecture, it’s important to consider compliance requirements. Key steps include: 

• Identifying protected data: Systems and data covered by regulatory requirements should be protected by microperimeters for access management. Identifying and prioritizing them during the design phase of a Zero Trust architecture maximizes the impact on compliance. 

• Defining least privilege access controls: Least privilege access controls are especially important for protected data. Clearly defining roles and required access reduces the scope of compliance and potential for non-compliance. 

• Tracking access requests: Zero Trust systems individually assess each request for access to sensitive data. Tracking these requests helps prove compliance and identify potential signs of a data breach or other security incident.

See how Wasabi optimizes Zero Trust protection 

Implementing a Zero Trust security model is essential to protecting IT assets against modern cyber attacks. Unlike the traditional castle-and-moat model, Zero Trust offers in-depth visibility and granular control over access to an organization’s systems and data. 

Cloud environments are prime targets for data breaches. Cyber-resilient storage from Wasabi enhances cloud security with Zero Trust, employing MFA and our exclusive Multi-User Authentication feature to safeguard cloud accounts. SSO and centralized IAM further simplify identity management to keep organizations' data secure.