What is zero trust? I like to use an airport analogy to convey the concept.
Think about airport security. Traditional perimeter-based security, like a virtual private network (VPN), is like showing your ID to security, not your bags or anything else, and then you're in never to be checked again. You could walk to a gate and say you're the pilot. Not great, right?
Zero Trust security takes a different approach - more like how airports actually work. No boarding pass? You'll need to verify who you are at the ticket counter first. Got your pass? Great, but it isn't a free pass to wander - it only works for your specific flight, at your specific gate, at the right time. This matches how an identity aware proxy works in Zero Trust security.
Let's take a look at a real world situation, production access. Just because you're an engineer doesn't mean you get 24/7 access to production. You might only get elevated permissions during your on-call shifts. So the context here isn't just who you are, but when you're allowed to access a resource.
Here's the big difference: old-school perimeter security is binary - you're either in or out. Zero Trust keeps asking:
- Are you who you claim to be?
- Are you where you're supposed to be?
- Is this the right time for your access?
- Does your current context justify this access level?
Zero Trust doesn't mean no trust - it's about being precise with access. Right person, right access, right time, right context.
Context matters and always be verifying.
Photo by Icarus Chu on Unsplash