zerotrustprincipes

Zero Trust Principles, commonly referred to as zero trust, describe a cybersecurity approach that assumes no network boundary is trustworthy. Every access request—whether originating inside or outside an organization's network—must be thoroughly verified, authenticated, and authorized before granting access to resources. Access is granted under least-privilege principles and continuously reevaluated as context changes.

Core elements include strong identity and access management with multi-factor authentication, device health checks, context-aware policies, micro-segmentation to limit lateral movement, continuous monitoring, and automatic revocation of access when risk changes. Data protection through encryption and auditing is emphasized.

The term originated with Forrester Research in 2010. It has evolved into a governance framework implemented through tools like identity and access management, security information and event management, cloud access security brokers, and network segmentation. The concept was formalized in standards such as NIST SP 800-207 Zero Trust Architecture (2020). Practical implementations are exemplified by approaches such as Google's BeyondCorp, which emphasizes policy-based access without relying on a trusted internal network.

Deployment considerations and challenges include the need for robust identity management, device posture checks, and policy automation; integration across on-premises and cloud environments; potential user friction; and ongoing management to keep policies aligned with risk. Zero trust is not a single product but a philosophy guiding architecture and operations, requiring coordination across security, IT, and governance teams.

In practice, organizations often adopt zero trust in phases, starting with remote access or cloud resources and expanding to data-centric protections and micro-segmentation as trust boundaries become more dynamic.