'Never Trust, Always Verify': Zero Trust Security

As computers gained a foothold in the business world and the internet became mainstream, new challenges arose. How was a business to protect non-tangible information that existed in this new, unseen, uncharted universe called the internet? Emphasis was placed on protecting internal business information, systems, and assets from outside attackers. Firewalls, antivirus, and passwords were deployed to prevent malicious actors from breaching the business perimeter and gaining internal access. This traditional network security followed the "Trust but Verify" method, in which internal users and endpoints within the business' perimeter were automatically trusted once their log-in credentials were validated. Unfortunately, as both technology and hackers advanced, the "trust but verify" approach has proven inadequate to protect against internal bad actors or external hackers.

In the last few years, business infrastructures have grown increasingly complex, cloud storage and computing have become standard, and a remote workforce has essentially materialized overnight. As a result, cybersecurity attacks are increasing exponentially, and no business, agency, infrastructure, or government is immune. Most will readily admit that their cybersecurity defense has been inadequate at best and "business as usual" approaches are woefully ineffective. Indisputably, newer, more sophisticated approaches should be considered to provide greater protection to businesses.