Organizations implementing ZTNA solutions can enforce granular access control for cloud apps and services based on device identity and context. By cloaking applications, even authorized users can’t see services they aren’t allowed to discover, protecting against lateral attacks.
This is a crucial advantage over deploying VPNs, which force traffic to go through a choke point, creating a potential single point of failure.
Zero Trust Network Access
Protecting the enterprise network is challenging, with most workplaces embracing remote work and cloud adoption. Many employees connect from various networks with their own devices, increasing the attack surface. Zero trust networking, or ZTNA, addresses these challenges by enforcing a policy of verifying and authenticating access at every point. This approach requires continuous monitoring, and automation is critical to making the process as automated and seamless as possible.
When a user requests access to an application, the system identifies the device and assigns a trust level based on identity and location. ZTNA then applies granular access controls based on role and security conditions to ensure only authorized users get through. It also enforces lateral movement restrictions, preventing the spread of threats once they get through the initial security barriers.
Unlike remote access VPNs, which often require a hardware appliance, ZTNA is cloud-based and scalable. It offers a more secure and user-friendly experience by providing faster, more accessible authentication requests. It provides better visibility and control over the organization’s network traffic and user behavior.
Zero trust also improves flexibility and agility, allowing digital ecosystems to work without backhauling to the corporate network. This approach is beneficial when securing software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. The solution can provide a secure path directly to SaaS apps from any device, eliminating the need for data backhauled to the corporate network and reducing risks from distributed denial-of-service attacks.
Microsegmentation
Zero trust networks allow organizations to define and enforce security policies granularly. This allows users to access apps and resources without contacting the internet, eliminating potential threats and limiting damage from breaches.
This is a software-defined approach to network security, where multiple virtual perimeters protect specific workloads and applications in the data center. These micro-segments limit lateral movement of threat in case an individual app is compromised and prevent attackers from spreading their damage across the entire enterprise.
These micro-segments are created using logical groupings and enforced via security policies, not based on network hardware or firewall rules. This method also eliminates the need for hairpinning traffic, slowing network performance. The policies can be context-aware, including anything from the time of day to geolocation and even a user’s previous trustworthiness, ensuring that every new connection is evaluated afresh.
For example, a typical application of this model is the separation of development and testing environments from production systems, which can help to prevent careless behavior such as downloading sensitive/live data for testing purposes. This enables teams to securely connect to their cloud applications without contacting the internet, protecting these sensitive workloads from unauthorized access. This can also minimize the risk of a breach, reducing the time it takes to detect and respond to an attack.
Account Compromise Prevention
The first step of a cyberattack is to compromise a user account. They do this by phishing, brute force (trying many combinations of passwords until they find one that works), and other means. This is the most significant source of stolen data in breaches and the most common way for attackers to access an organization’s sensitive data or critical assets.
Once a threat actor has an account, they can use it to continue their attack. They may use their victim’s compromised credentials to steal money or valuable information by impersonating a trusted employee via business email compromise (BEC). They can also use the account to move laterally throughout the network to access privileged accounts or additional systems.
It can be challenging to protect against account compromise. Using a solution that can detect and block unauthorized logins from suspicious devices, such as a VPN or mobile device, is also crucial. In addition, it is essential to monitor all access and logins to systems and service accounts to identify any anomalies. Lastly, it is essential to have a solution that can identify when an account has been compromised and suspend the account before any damage is done.
Device-Centric Thinking
The most effective cyber security tools are based on device and user identity rather than on the traditional notion of network perimeter. The new security model considers that employees work from multiple locations and devices. It focuses on the edge where they access the cloud and on-premise data, allowing them to do their jobs. At the same time, threats are constantly evolving and evading existing systems.
This approach to cybersecurity allows hospitals and healthcare delivery organizations (HDOs) to prioritize vulnerabilities based on severity. They can also reduce risk by leveraging granular policies to limit the attack surface. This enables healthcare organizations to protect their sensitive information and enable users to collaborate from anywhere with any device while protecting their applications.
In addition, the device-centric approach makes access decisions at the edge, removing the need to route traffic through vendors’ cloud infrastructure and improving the performance of security products. It also treats unmanaged devices in the healthcare ecosystem as first-class citizens, delivering seamless access and enabling granular policy controls, including for cloud-based software-as-a-service applications.
Human vulnerabilities account for 80% of exploited vulnerabilities, but most cyber security solutions focus exclusively on system tools and technology. As a result, many users ignore or circumvent security measures, believing that it will “only happen to someone else,” leading to a significant increase in cyber attacks and the cost of data breaches.
