Page 229 - Cyber Defense eMagazine Special RSA Conference Annual Edition for 2022

The solution is Zero Trust

Organizations worldwide are embracing digital transformation to ensure business continuity, and most
times, security is neglected. Cybercrime is now highly organized, and bad actors are sophisticated
enough to deploy APTs and move laterally within an organization's network. Traditional approaches are
failing to protect organizations in the new normal of remote work and industry-wide cloud
adoption. Securing modern enterprises from today's threat landscape, which aligns with the cloud
environment, requires a shared responsibility model.

A Zero Trust model can fulfil this cybersecurity need by deploying security controls that assume that the
network is already compromised. Legacy' network perimeter security and visibility solutions that keep
attackers out are no longer practical or robust enough. The concept of implicit trust is no longer effective
while depending on basic IAM solutions, is no longer practical. Zero Trust employs the least-privilege
principle and strong authentication methods to enforce access controls and enhance the network's
granular visibility.

A well-executed Zero Trust strategy is based on the principle of access, limit and monitoring. By enabling
organizations to precisely manage identities and monitor user activity, especially those with elevated
privileges, Zero Trust can act as the overarching system of organization's security framework.

With IoT devices eavesdropping and Wi-Fi router not being configured to WPA-2 , remote workforce
brings significant cyber risks. Productivity and security of employees working remotely can no longer be
ensured — or controlled. Enterprise-owned devices are traditionally managed, patched, and kept up to
date with security tools and policies. Even if Zero Trust security can't force employees working at home
to maintain basic cyber-hygiene, it can prevent a security breach because it fundamentally enforces
access controls at every segment within the network.

The only solution to this complex cyber threat landscape is the new-generation Zero Trust security
framework, which offers granular visibility and continuous monitoring of the network. Moreover, it
establishes trust that is dynamic and contextual risk-based, and grants access requests only if certain
access policy parameters are met.

Gartner's CARTA takes Zero Trust further by introducing continuous adaptation beyond the basic allow
or deny models to provide contextually relevant access. With context as king, CARTA's additional security
measures reduce breach risk and improve containment if a hacker gains access to the network.

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