What Are Zero Trust Security Tools?

Zero Trust is an approach to cybersecurity that enhances protection for modern IT networks. In a Zero Trust environment, no user, device or connection is trusted automatically. Each must be continuously authenticated before accessing data and IT resources.

Traditional network security implicitly trusts the identities of users and devices inside the network while seeking to authenticate those outside it. However, this allows attackers who have already gained access to an environment to roam freely. The Zero Trust system prevents this by not implicitly trusting anything. 
 

For decades, organizations achieved security by defending an identifiable network perimeter. Using firewalls and other defenses, and security teams created a layer of protection that fended off external threats while allowing users and devices inside the network to easily access the resources they needed.

This traditional approach to security has become obsolete for two reasons. It offers little protection against threats that have already breached the network. And it can’t adequately protect highly distributed networks where users, data and network infrastructure may reside anywhere in the world.

To improve protection for modern networks, many organizations have adopted the Zero Trust model for security. First identified by a Forrester Research analyst in 2010, the Zero Trust framework requires that organizations trust nothing by default. IT environments must continuously authenticate every user, device and connection before granting access to data and IT assets.

Implementing Zero Trust security can be a challenge. Legacy systems may not support a Zero Trust framework, and authentication problems can hinder productivity. Organizations can overcome these issues by selecting superior Zero Trust security tools.
 

Since no all-in-one Zero Trust systems exist, IT teams must build a Zero Trust environment by adopting a handful of technologies.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
ZTNA is one of the most common and powerful Zero Trust security tools. ZTNA technologies authenticate users on every access request, allowing remote users to securely access applications, data and services. In contrast to VPNs that grant access to an entire network, ZTNA solutions limit access to only the specific applications and resources the user requires. ZTNA overcomes security gaps caused by other remote access technologies and protects against lateral movement since attackers who have breached one part of the network can't automatically move on to other targets.

Microsegmentation
Microsegmentation technologies use granular, role-based access policies to limit access to individual applications, workloads and sensitive data assets. By creating many different perimeters within the network, microsegmentation prevents attackers from moving freely from one asset to another after breaching defenses in one part of the network.

Identity and access controls
Identity and access control policies use dynamic and contextual data analysis to ensure that only legitimate users can access IT assets. Policies also limit access to resources for which a user has a legitimate business need. Technologies like multifactor authentication (MFA) help to prevent unauthorized access by requiring two or more forms of identification when a user tries to log on.

Continuous monitoring
Continuous, real-time monitoring of an IT environment allows IT teams to identify potential threats quickly and move immediately to stop them. When protections have failed to prevent a breach, continuous monitoring helps limit the time an attacker can spend within a network doing damage or exfiltrating data.

Endpoint verification
Endpoint verification technology ensures that a legitimate user is in control of each device and that devices are free of malware and other threats.

Threat detection and response
When monitoring solutions reveal the presence of threats, IT teams need robust threat detection and response technologies to execute incident response playbooks and orchestrate remediation.

Data protection
To protect data, security teams need technology that can identify and categorize data assets based on criticality, along with solutions to automatically prevent data loss, theft and leaks.
 

Zero Trust security tools help IT teams implement the critical pillars of the Zero Trust framework.

• Continuously verify. Zero Trust security tools enable IT environments to constantly verify users’ identities, devices and connections without introducing latency in accessing IT resources.
• Assume breach. When security teams assume that threats have already breached their defenses, they tend to take a more assertive posture against potential threats and uncover unseen attacks earlier.
• Grant least-privilege access. By allowing users and devices to access only the resources they need, Zero Trust security products limit the points of entry for attackers and the volume of credentials that IT teams must manage.
• Automate processes. A Zero Trust security platform that automates tasks can improve scalability, minimize human error, apply consistent policies and reduce the effort required from IT teams.
• Limit the attack surface. By segmenting assets and tightly controlling access, Zero Trust security tools help to limit the damage an attacker can do after successfully breaching an organization’s defenses.
   

As a Zero Trust vendor recognized as a leader in cybersecurity by Gartner, Forrester, NSS Labs and others, Forcepoint offers multiple Zero Trust security tools designed to streamline the implementation of Zero Trust capabilities.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
Forcepoint ZTNA securely connects remote workers to apps in internal data centers and private clouds. Using browser shortcuts or single sign-on portals, remote workers can connect to private apps using their own devices as if they were in the office. Forcepoint ZTNA enables superior Zero Trust application access control by giving access only to the apps users need rather than all apps in internal data centers.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Forcepoint DLP helps prevent unauthorized users from accessing, leaking or exfiltrating data. Using security policy to detect sensitive information in network traffic, Forcepoint DLP blocks data from leaving the organization – in real-time and with no friction for the user experience.