What is zero trust?
Zero Trust Security is a cybersecurity framework that requires strict identity verification for every person and device attempting to access network resources. It assumes no user or system is trusted by default, enforcing continuous authentication, least privilege access, and micro-segmentation to minimize security risks.
Implementing zero trust
Zero Trust implementation is the practical application of the Zero Trust security model, which eliminates implicit trust and continuously verifies every access request—whether from inside or outside the organization. Traditional security models rely on a "trust but verify" approach, which is no longer effective against today’s sophisticated cyber threats, insider risks, and evolving IT environments. Instead, Zero Trust enforces strict identity verification, device security checks, and least-privilege access to minimize attack surfaces.
To help organizations adopt this model, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) developed the Zero Trust Maturity Model (ZTMM)—a framework offering practical steps for implementation.
5 steps to establishing a Zero Trust foundation in the cloud
If you are struggling to verify every user, device, and application in your environment, we’ve outlined the 5 steps orgs should take on their journey towards Zero Trust.
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Why implement Zero Trust?
Organizations face evolving cyber risks that require a proactive, identity-first security approach. Zero Trust helps protect sensitive data and critical infrastructure by addressing these key challenges:
Escalating cyber threats and insider risks – Ransomware, supply chain attacks, and advanced persistent threats (APTs) bypass traditional defenses by exploiting vulnerabilities in third-party vendors, cloud misconfigurations, and unsecured endpoints. Insider threats, whether intentional or accidental, also pose a major risk. Zero Trust enforces strict identity verification, least-privilege access, and continuous monitoring to detect and mitigate threats in real time.
Remote work and cloud complexity – Employees access corporate resources from personal devices, home networks, and third-party applications, expanding the attack surface. Traditional VPNs grant excessive network access, making them a security liability. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) replaces VPNs with granular, application-level security while enforcing strong authentication and device verification across multi-cloud and hybrid environments.
Regulatory compliance and industry mandates – Standards like NIST 800-207, GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS require strict authentication, least-privilege access, and continuous monitoring—core principles of Zero Trust. Non-compliance risks fines, legal action, and reputational damage. Governments and regulatory bodies now mandate Zero Trust adoption, particularly in critical infrastructure and federal agencies.
The pillars of the Zero Trust Maturity Model
According to CISA, five pillars underpin the entire zero trust framework. As outlined in the Zero Trust Maturity Model (ZTMM), these pillars are:
Identity: At the heart of the zero trust approach is the principle that trust is never implicit. All access requests must be approached with the assumption that they come from an untrusted source. The identity principle dictates that resource access should be exclusive to authorized personnel. It emphasizes the need for robust identity access management, ensuring that users are who they claim to be and are granted access only to the resources they need.
Devices: In a zero trust environment, it's not just about who is accessing the resources but also from where and how. The devices pillar stipulates that only trusted devices with the right security posture should be able to access organizational resources. This involves device authentication, continuous health monitoring, and verifying that devices comply with corporate security policies.
Networks: The networks pillar focuses on securing communication channels and implementing network segmentation. In a zero trust model, the traditional notion of a secure perimeter is obsolete. Instead, micro-perimeters are created around individual or groups of resources so that even if an attacker gains access to the network, their movement is restricted and lateral movement is minimized.
Applications and workloads: As organizations increasingly adopt cloud services and decentralized IT environments, securing applications and workloads becomes more and more important. This pillar emphasizes protecting applications from threats, making certain they operate in a secure environment and are accessed securely.
Data: Arguably the most critical asset for any organization, the data pillar focuses on keeping sensitive data classified, encrypted, and accessible only to authorized entities. To protect data, deploy advanced encryption protocols and meticulously manage access, allowing only verified users with necessary roles. Additionally, uphold data integrity by conducting consistent audits and monitoring vigilantly to detect unauthorized modifications.
Network, cloud, and endpoint security
Zero Trust is about securing every layer of your environment. In hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructures, organizations must enforce Zero Trust principles consistently across AWS, Azure, GCP, and on-prem environments. Endpoints are often the weakest link, making security posture assessments critical.
Meanwhile, securing containerized applications and APIs is essential as cloud-native architectures grow. Granular network segmentation limits attackers' lateral movement within environments. Advanced monitoring tools track east-west traffic for anomalies, while software-defined perimeters (SDP) dynamically adjust access controls based on user identity and real-time risk assessments.
The ZTMM also highlights three cross-cutting capabilities, which span all pillars: visibility and analytics, automation and orchestration, and governance. These capabilities are essential for ensuring interoperability of functions across pillars and for achieving a comprehensive zero trust approach:
Visibility and analytics: This capability emphasizes the need for organizations to develop and maintain a clear view of their IT environment. It involves collecting and analyzing data to detect anomalies, monitor user behaviors, and gain insights into potential security threats.
Automation and orchestration: As IT environments grow in complexity, manual processes become inefficient and error prone. Automation and orchestration ensure that security policies are consistently enforced and responses to security events are swift and effective.
Governance: This capability focuses on establishing clear security policies and procedures to ensure compliance. Governance involves defining roles and responsibilities, setting security standards, and making sure your organization's security posture aligns with your risk appetite.
In essence, the Zero Trust Maturity Model’s pillars and capabilities provide a comprehensive framework that organizations can leverage to implement a zero trust approach effectively. Each plays a crucial role in ensuring a holistic and robust zero trust environment, and together, they form the backbone of the zero trust architecture.
The challenges of zero trust implementation
Adopting zero trust architecture (ZTA) is a transformative journey for any organization, especially for large enterprises like the federal government. While the benefits of ZTA are numerous, the path to its full implementation is filled with challenges. Let's delve into some of the primary hurdles that organizations face:
Legacy systems and zero trust
Implicit trust vs. adaptive trust: Traditional legacy systems often operate on the principle of "implicit trust," where access and authorization are granted based on fixed attributes. This approach is in stark contrast to the core principle of ZTA, which emphasizes adaptive evaluation of trust. Transitioning from a system that inherently trusts to one that continuously evaluates trust is a significant shift.
Investment in modernization: Existing infrastructures built on implicit trust principles necessitate substantial investments to realign with zero trust principles. This requires investments beyond money: dedicated time, specialized skills, and a firm commitment from the organization.
Stakeholder engagement
Broad-based buy-in: Successful zero trust adoption requires the active engagement and cooperation of various stakeholders, including management, IT staff, data and system owners, and end users. In short, it’s crucial to make sure everyone is on board—and stays on board.
Transitioning from siloed IT services: Historically, many organizations have operated with siloed IT services. Adopting ZTA requires a shift towards a more coordinated and collaborative approach, with organization-wide acceptance of shared architecture and governance policies.
Technological landscape
Evolving technology: The rapid evolution of technology means that new solutions and strategies are continually emerging. Organizations must stay updated and be flexible in their approach to ensure their zero trust objectives remain relevant and practical.
Cloud technologies: The rise of cloud technologies presents both opportunities and challenges. While cloud platforms can offer more agile and scalable solutions, they also introduce new complexities in terms of security and compliance.
The challenges in adopting zero trust are real, but they are not insurmountable. With the right strategy, stakeholder buy-in, and a focus on continuous learning and adaptation, you can navigate these challenges and establish a robust zero trust environment.
The five stages of implementing a zero trust system
The Zero Trust Maturity journey is about continuously enhancing and integrating tools, processes, and policies. This journey takes organizations from static, perimeter-based defenses to dynamic, context-aware, and adaptive security measures that can respond in real time to emerging threats.
Here's a more technical breakdown of the stages of implementation:
Traditional
Manual configurations: This stage often relies on manual firewall rules, static access control lists, and basic VPNs for remote access.
Static security policies: Policies are defined using fixed attributes like IP addresses, port numbers, and protocols. At this stage, there's minimal use of dynamic or context-aware policies.
Siloed policy enforcement: Different systems, like intrusion prevention systems (IPSs) and web application firewalls (WAFs), operate in isolation without integration or shared intelligence.
Initial
Beginning of automation: In the initial stage, organizations might start using tools like Ansible or Terraform for infrastructure as code (IaC) management to enable more consistent and repeatable deployments.
Initial cross-pillar solutions: Integration of identity access management (IAM) with network access solutions begins, allowing for role-based access controls.
Aggregated visibility: SIEM systems compile logs and offer an integrated perspective on security-related incidents.
Advanced
Automated controls: In this stage, organizations use tools like security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) solutions to automate responses to security incidents.
Centralized visibility: Deployment of advanced threat intelligence platforms that integrate with various security tools to provide real-time threat detection and analysis occurs at this step.
Integrated policy enforcement: This stage is characterized by the use of software-defined perimeters (SDPs) and zero trust network access (ZTNA) solutions that integrate with IAM systems to provide dynamic, context-aware access controls.
Optimal
Fully automated processes: At the optimal stage, organizations integrate AI and machine learning into security tools to provide predictive analytics, anomaly detection, and automated threat hunting.
Dynamic policies: Attribute-based access controls (ABAC) utilize dynamic policies that factor in various attributes, such as user and resource characteristics, as well as the environment, to determine access permissions.
Comprehensive situational awareness: This stage is defined by the deployment of user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) to continuously monitor and profile user and system behaviors, identifying deviations that might indicate a security threat.
Cross-cutting technical enhancements
As organizations’ security postures evolve, they often adopt cross-cutting technical enhancements to bolster their defenses. These advanced measures include:
Micro-segmentation: In advanced stages, organizations deploy micro-segmentation, breaking the network into smaller zones. Each zone has its own policies, ensuring that even if an attacker gains access to one segment, they can't move laterally across the network.
Endpoint detection and response (EDR): EDR solutions monitor endpoint activities continuously. They can detect malicious activities, provide detailed forensic analysis, and help in rapid incident response, making them a key tool in advanced stages.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA): MFA becomes standard in the advanced and optimal stages, ensuring that users provide multiple pieces of evidence before gaining access. This typically involves verification through a known credential (like a password), a possessed object (such as a smart card or token), or an inherent characteristic (for instance, biometric data).
Guidelines for implementing zero trust
A structured, step-by-step approach is key to a successful Zero Trust strategy. The following steps outline how to build and maintain a strong Zero Trust framework, from assembling the right team to continuously refining security controls.
Step 1: Create a specialized zero trust security team
An ideal team has members with expertise in network security, cloud architectures, endpoint security, and identity access management. Familiarity with tools such as SIEM, EDR, and ZTNA solutions is crucial.
For instance, a global financial institution should form a "Zero Trust Task Force'' comprising network architects, cloud security specialists, and IAM experts. This team would be responsible for deploying a global ZTNA solution and integrating it with their existing IAM system.
Step 2: Choose the right zero trust implementation on-ramp
Assess your current infrastructure to decide which on-ramp is right for you. The four main types are the network, user, device identity, applications, and data on-ramps. If your organization has a robust IAM solution, the user on-ramp might be the most straightforward. If there's a strong network security posture, the network on-ramp could be ideal.
For example, a cloud-native startup with robust network practices should choose the network on-ramp. They should focus on the micro-segmentation of their current network setup and create dynamic access controls for cloud resources.
Step 3: Strengthen user, device, and application security
Deploy advanced MFA solutions, integrate EDR solutions for continuous device monitoring, and use container orchestration tools like Kubernetes with built-in security configurations for application deployment.
For instance, an established e-commerce company could start with integrating biometric MFA for all admin accesses, deploy a leading EDR solution for real-time device monitoring, and transition to a containerized application environment using Kubernetes with strict security policies.
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Step 4: Enhance network security and infrastructure
Implement micro-segmentation using solutions like VMware NSX or Cisco ACI. Deploy software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) solutions for more flexible and secure network connectivity. Use network detection and response (NDR) tools for real-time network threat detection.
For example, as part of a highly regulated industry, healthcare companies could focus on safeguarding patient data by implementing micro-segmentation across their data centers, ensuring that even if one segment were compromised, the breach wouldn't spread. They could also deploy an NDR solution for continuous network monitoring.
Step 5: Continuously monitor and refine your zero trust strategy
We recommend three methods of continuous monitoring in this step of implementation. First, integrate AI-driven threat intelligence platforms for predictive threat analysis. Second, regularly conduct red teaming and penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities. And third, use IaC tools like Terraform or CloudFormation to ensure consistent and secure infrastructure deployments.
Let's assume that a tech startup has already implemented Zero Trust for its cloud infrastructure. After the implementation, they could integrate an AI-driven SIEM solution for advanced threat detection. They could also adopt Terraform for all infrastructure deployments to make sure that every deployment adheres to their strict security standards.
Incorporating these technical measures and tools into the zero trust implementation process creates a robust and comprehensive security posture. Keep in mind that the threat landscape is always evolving. Stay informed and adopt the latest technologies and best practices to maintain a resilient zero trust environment.
Actionable zero trust security checklist
Identity & Access Management (IAM)
✅ Enforce least privilege access (RBAC, ABAC)
✅ Implement strong MFA for all users
✅ Continuously monitor and revalidate user access
✅ Implement Just-In-Time (JIT) access and Privileged Access Management (PAM) systems
✅ Use advanced identity analytics for anomaly detectionDevice & Endpoint Security
✅ Enforce device posture checks before granting access
✅ Require endpoint detection & response (EDR) solutions
✅ Encrypt all device communications and data storage
✅ Implement endpoint isolation techniques to prevent lateral movement
✅ Use advanced threat hunting tools for proactive endpoint securityNetwork Security
✅ Implement microsegmentation to limit lateral movement
✅ Use software-defined perimeters (SDP) for access control
✅ Enforce least-privilege access to network resources
✅ Leverage SDN where applicable for dynamic network segmentation
✅ Deploy Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) tools for real-time monitoringApplication & Data Security
✅ Apply identity-aware access to apps (SSO, adaptive authentication)
✅ Encrypt data at rest, in transit, and in use
✅ Continuously audit data access and usage patterns
✅ Implement runtime application self-protection (RASP) and API security measures
✅ Explore advanced encryption techniques like homomorphic encryption for secure data processing in untrusted environments.Threat Detection & Response
✅ Deploy real-time monitoring and behavioral analytics
✅ Automate security policy enforcement and response
✅ Conduct regular security assessments and red team exercises
✅ Implement User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) for real-time threat detection
✅ Use advanced threat intelligence platforms for proactive threat huntingGovernance & Compliance
✅ Establish continuous security validation and auditing
✅ Implement Zero Trust principles across hybrid and multi-cloud environments
✅ Align policies with industry standards (NIST, CISA, ISO 27001)
✅ Use frameworks like CISA's Zero Trust Maturity Model (ZTMM) for strategic planning
✅ Regularly review and update security policies based on evolving threats and regulations
Tools and technologies for a zero trust security framework
Implementing Zero Trust requires a comprehensive security stack that enforces strict access controls, continuously monitors for threats, and adapts to evolving risks. The following technologies are essential for implementing and maintaining a Zero Trust security strategy.
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Cloud-native security solutions | Provide scalable security across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, dynamically adjusting access controls, detecting threats in real time, and enforcing least-privilege access without on-premises hardware. Seamlessly integrates with DevOps pipelines for proactive security. |
| Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) | Replaces traditional VPNs by granting access only to specific applications, reducing attack surfaces and preventing lateral movement. Continuously assesses user identity, device health, and context to enforce adaptive security policies. |
| Identity and access management (IAM) | Automates least-privilege access by dynamically adjusting permissions based on roles and real-time risk assessments. Enhances authentication with MFA, SSO, and biometric security to prevent credential-based attacks. |
| Micro-segmentation | Restricts lateral movement by dividing networks into isolated security zones. Enforces policy-based access controls that adjust permissions based on user roles, device posture, and compliance requirements. |
| Behavioral analytics & threat detection | Uses AI-driven anomaly detection to identify suspicious activities, such as unusual login attempts or unauthorized data access. Integrates with SIEM and XDR platforms for automated threat response, minimizing breach impact. |
Wiz's approach to zero trust
Achieving Zero Trust requires full visibility, continuous risk assessment, and strict identity controls—especially in complex cloud environments. Wiz helps organizations implement these principles by uncovering security gaps, enforcing least-privilege access, and providing real-time threat detection.
Wiz plays a key role in enabling organizations to achieve Zero Trust in their cloud environments by ensuring:
Full cloud visibility: Wiz uncovers all workloads, identities, and permissions, helping organizations eliminate blind spots and enforce least-privilege access.
Continuous risk assessment: With automated vulnerability scanning and misconfiguration detection, Wiz highlights critical security gaps so teams can focus on the highest-priority threats.
Identity and access security: Wiz analyzes cloud entitlements, monitors high-privilege accounts, and enforces continuous verification, preventing unauthorized access and insider risks.
Ready to take the first step by understanding your current security posture? Request a cloud compliance demo with Wiz.
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