Defending against ever-evolving and sophisticated cyber threats is challenging, especially for small and mid-market companies with limited cybersecurity budgets. Although layering on countless cyber defenses has been the default approach for years, strategy and a little bit of common sense can go a long way in protecting your business without breaking the bank.
One groundbreaking solution that delivers a fundamentally different approach to cybersecurity is “Zero Trust.” Traditional cybersecurity tries to monitor behavior and identify potential threats. But this approach is constantly having to evolve to the latest tactics used by bad actors. Zero Trust approaches the problem in reverse. The Zero Trust approach basically says “Here is the list of everything and everyone we trust – block everything else, period.” This one simple and fairly logical change of approach reduces your risk of a successful cyber-attack far more than sophisticated detection tools (EDR/MDR/XDR/SIEM).
Traditional Cybersecurity vs. Zero Trust
Think about the last time you went to an entertainment venue or a theme park. Before you entered, you likely had to pass through a security check that involved a metal detector, bag checks, or even a K9 unit smelling for drugs or weapons. The security personnel are specifically trained to identify threats based on common indicators and visual observation. But what if someone has a new and creative way of sneaking a weapon into the venue – a method the security personnel haven’t been trained to identify? The threat gets through. This is how traditional cybersecurity works. You “train” your security as best as you can, and you layer on as many checkpoints as you can afford, but there’s still that small chance that something will slip through undetected.
Now, think about the last time you took a flight somewhere. You encountered the same types of security checks (metal detectors, bag checks, K9s, etc.) albeit a bit more diligent. But there’s one simple and fundamental difference between airport security and security at a theme park: Your boarding pass.
See, before you were even allowed to enter the security checkpoint, you first had to show your boarding pass and identification. You had to prove that you were pre-authorized to be there, and a TSA agent had to verify you were who you claimed to be. If you tried to get through without that boarding pass, you’d be turned away before you even had a chance to go through the security checkpoint, let alone get to the terminal. This is Zero Trust.
Zero Trust In Practice
When the Zero Trust practice is implemented in your organization, nothing runs on your computer systems unless it has been explicitly allowed first. If one of your employees wants to download and install a new PDF editing application, the installation is immediately blocked, even if the user has administrative rights on their computer. What if an employee opens a malicious PDF in an email that tries to install ransomware? You guessed it – blocked. And that’s the benefit of Zero Trust. Whether it’s a known threat or an unknown threat, it doesn’t matter. Everything gets blocked by default.
Protection extends beyond just the application itself. Bad actors have figured out that they can leverage legitimate applications to perform malicious acts and bypass most security checks. By default, a user could open a PDF that automatically runs a Windows PowerShell script (or macOS Terminal script) which then does something malicious. But, for 99% of organizations, there is no need for PDFs to be able to run scripts. So, why allow it in the first place? A Zero Trust feature called “Ring Fencing” prevents applications from talking to other applications or services that aren’t needed.
The greatest strength of Zero Trust is that it requires no proactivity or threat awareness. Because every behavior is blocked by default, even new threats that nobody has seen in the wild get blocked by default.
What’s The Catch?
So far, Zero Trust sounds like a no-brainer. But in the cybersecurity world, there is always give and take. The greatest strength of Zero Trust can also be its biggest hurdle. Let’s say you’re trying to join an online meeting via Zoom, and Zoom isn’t on your organization’s list of trusted applications. You are going to be blocked. And until your cybersecurity team adds Zoom to the trusted application list, you will not be able to join your meeting.
This restriction is one that most organizations and users are not accustomed to. Most are accustomed to being able to install and run just about anything they want when they need it. Maybe some things require an Administrator, but in general most users are free to do as they need. Moving to a Zero Trust model requires complete buy-in from everyone in your organization, especially your leadership. But managed appropriately, Zero Trust can offer all the promised protections with little interruption to your day-to-day operations.
Conclusion
Before your organization considers adding even more layers of traditional cybersecurity, consider how a Zero Trust approach can offer superior protection against modern threats. Industry-leading Zero Trust solutions, such as Digital Boardwalk’s EnsureControl+™, deliver a fully managed experience that streamlines the process of maintaining your list of allowed applications and services in a quick and efficient manner. Contact us to learn more about EnsureControl+™ and how it can benefit your business.