Fundamentals

Zero Trust

Zero Trust is a security model that continuously verifies access instead of trusting users or devices by location alone.

  • Network location (on-prem vs remote) grants no automatic trust.
  • Every access request is authenticated, authorized, and encrypted.
  • Device posture and health are evaluated before granting access.
  • Least-privilege access is enforced per session, not just per role.
  • Assume breach and segment resources to limit lateral movement.

What is it and why it matters

Zero Trust flips the traditional perimeter-based security model on its head. Instead of trusting everything inside the corporate network, Zero Trust treats every access request as if it originated from an untrusted network, requiring explicit verification of identity, device health, context, and permissions before granting access — and then continuously re-evaluating that trust throughout the session. This model has become critical as organizations move to hybrid work, cloud services, and distributed applications where the traditional network perimeter no longer exists. For security analysts, Zero Trust means shifting investigation focus from “how did they get on the network” to “why was this specific access allowed,” making identity, device telemetry, and policy logs the primary forensic sources.

Real world examples

  • Google BeyondCorp (2014) — Google pioneered the Zero Trust model with BeyondCorp, eliminating their internal VPN requirement and enabling secure access from any network after a successful internal phishing campaign highlighted perimeter weaknesses.
  • Okta breach and Lapsus$ (2022) — The Lapsus$ group accessed an Okta support engineer’s laptop, demonstrating that even identity providers need Zero Trust controls — the compromise showed that trust in a single identity layer creates cascading risk.
  • SolarWinds supply chain attack (2020) — The SolarWinds attack validated Zero Trust principles by showing that trusted vendor software and internal network segments could be used as attack vectors, accelerating federal adoption of Zero Trust mandates.