The rise of technologies in business workflows is accompanied by a surge in cyber threats that take advantage of them.
The cost of cybercrime has more than doubled between 2020 and 2022, with credential theft being the most common attack vector in cyberattacks.
Source: Statista
Organizations adopting hybrid and remote work models are increasing their attack surface as their users and IT infrastructure are more exposed. Therefore, they must deploy countermeasures to mitigate the cyber risk introduced by this new IT reality.
Governments are also aware of this. The new NIS2 Directive aims to improve the management of cyber risks within the European Union, in response to the massive emergence of cyber threats that are alarming both private and public institutions across Europe.
The “Zero Trust” architecture is a major security strategy recommended by the directive and IT experts to mitigate cyber risks.
This article explains what the Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) model is and the benefits it can bring to businesses in terms of security.
What is Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)?
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is an IT security solution that provides secure remote access to an organization’s applications, data, and services, based on strict, defined access control policies. Unlike virtual private networks (VPNs) that grant access to the entire network, ZTNA only provides access to specific services or applications. In response to the growing number of users accessing resources remotely, ZTNA helps fill the gaps in other remote access technologies and methods.
How does Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) work?
Here’s how Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) generally works:
- Authentication: When a user or device attempts to access a network resource, the ZTNA solution verifies their identity using authentication mechanisms such as username/password pairs, multi-factor authentication (MFA), or biometric authentication.
- Endpoint Security Assessment: Then, the ZTNA solution evaluates the user’s device security posture, specifically checking for the presence of patches, updates, and upgrades.
- Granular Access Control: Based on contextual information such as the user’s role, the type of device, the sensitivity of the requested resource, and the time of access, the ZTNA solution enforces strict access policies. This limits access to a specific application or system.
- Secure Tunnel: Once the user or device is authenticated and authorized, the ZTNA solution establishes an encrypted, secure tunnel between them and the resource they are attempting to access. This tunnel ensures the protection of transmitted data against interception or tampering.
Benefits of Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
In today’s cloud-based world, ZTNA offers numerous advantages to businesses seeking more secure access management. Here are some of its key benefits:
- Enhanced Authentication: ZTNA relies on a range of user and device authentication methods, such as challenge-response authentication, biometric identification, and multi-factor authentication (MFA). These mechanisms play a crucial role in protecting resources.
- Secure and Flexible Remote Access: ZTNA enables secure remote access from any location and device, as long as identity verification is successful. This flexibility is ideal in the face of increasing remote work.
- Enhanced Enterprise Security: ZTNA adheres to the “Zero Trust” philosophy: “Never trust, always verify.” This helps organizations reduce their attack surface and mitigate the risks of breaches or both internal and external attacks.
- Simplified Deployment and Increased Security: Cloud-based ZTNA solutions are easy to deploy and reduce the risk of accidental access grants.
- Simplified Permission Management: ZTNA offers flexibility in granting new permissions to users or devices as needed.
- Improved Traceability and Visibility: ZTNA provides better tracking and visibility of user and device activity, as well as access attempts, through traffic logs. This valuable information aids in security monitoring and auditing.
- Granular Access Control: Compared to VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) and VDIs (Virtual Desktop Infrastructures), ZTNA offers more granular control over network access. This meticulous approach minimizes the risks of unauthorized access.
- Device Security Posture Validation: ZTNA enables the validation of device security posture (operating system, firewall, antivirus, source IP address, disk encryption), contributing to the overall cybersecurity strategy.
How to Implement Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) ?
There are two approaches to implementing ZTNA: endpoint-initiated or service-initiated.
- Endpoint-Initiated: As the name suggests, the user initiates access to an application from a connected device, similar to a Secure Data Platform (SDP). An agent installed on the device communicates with the ZTNA controller, which performs the authentication and connects to the desired service.
- Service-Initiated: In contrast, the connection is initiated by an intermediary between the application and the user. This requires a lightweight ZTNA connector positioned in front of on-premises or cloud-hosted business applications. Once the outgoing connection from the requested application authenticates the user or another application, the traffic passes through the ZTNA service provider, isolating the applications from direct access via a proxy. The advantage here is that no agent is required on the end user’s devices, making it more attractive for unmanaged or BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) devices used by consultants or partners.
There are also two deployment models for ZTNA: standalone ZTNA and ZTNA as a Service (ZTNAaaS).
- Standalone ZTNA: This option requires the organization to deploy and manage all ZTNA components, which are located at the edge of the environment (cloud or data center) and negotiate secure connections. While this may be suitable for organizations reluctant to adopt the cloud, deployment, management, and maintenance become additional burdens.
- ZTNA as a Service (ZTNAaaS): With cloud-hosted ZTNA, organizations can leverage the cloud provider’s infrastructure for everything from deployment to policy enforcement. In this case, the organization simply acquires user licenses, deploys connectors in front of the secured applications, and lets the cloud/ZTNA provider manage connectivity, capacity, and infrastructure. This simplifies management and deployment, and cloud-delivered ZTNA can ensure optimal traffic path selection for the lowest latency for all users.
ZTNA vs VPN: What's the Difference ?
ZTNA and VPN are both secure network access solutions. While both enable remote access, ZTNA offers several significant advantages over VPN, particularly in terms of trust and user access control to network resources.
Key Differences
Endpoint Security Verification: Even though this doesn’t apply to remote equipment, VPNs do not natively verify the security posture of endpoints (human user devices). Additional software must be installed and constantly updated. ZTNA, on the other hand, performs an end-to-end check and does not establish a connection until the endpoint security evaluation is successful.
Granular Access Control: VPNs rely on password strength and user resource management practices.
ZTNA’s “Zero Trust” approach enables a company to control what resources a user can view and access with granular control. With VPNs, accessing separate environments requires configuring and managing another VPN controller, which is cumbersome unless using a Managed VPN provider. ZTNA solutions limit access to authorized applications and offer granular control, reducing the risks of lateral movement by attackers.Monitoring and Auditing: Tracking user activity or traffic for auditing is cumbersome with VPNs. ZTNA solutions, however, provide valuable information such as user ID, authentication method, endpoint status, GPS location, and more.
Attack Surface: Once authenticated, traditional VPNs grant access to the entire network, exposing all resources and creating a large attack surface. The ZTNA model applies the “least privilege” principle, thus limiting the attack surface in case of a breach. A managed VPN service significantly reduces this risk.
Deployment and Management: VPNs may require software installation, configuration of settings, and troubleshooting connection issues, leading to greater demand on the IT team. ZTNA solutions, often cloud-based, require minimal setup regardless of the location or device used, simplifying workflows and reducing potential disruptions.
Main Use Cases for Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
ZTNA offers many security benefits in the cloud. Here are four common use cases for which organizations typically opt:
Alternative to VPNs for Remote Users
VPNs are often inconvenient, slow for users, insecure, and complex to manage. That’s why many organizations are looking to reduce or even eliminate their reliance on these solutions. Gartner predicted, “60% of companies will primarily move away from remote access VPNs in favor of ZTNA.”
Secure Multi-Cloud Access
Securing access to hybrid and multi-cloud environments is a key focus for organizations beginning their migration to ZTNA. With the growing adoption of cloud applications and services, 37% of companies are turning to ZTNA for enhanced access control and security in their multi-cloud strategies.
Reducing Third-Party Risks
Most third-party users are granted excessive access and often access applications from unmanaged devices, posing significant risks. ZTNA significantly reduces these risks by ensuring that external users never access the network and that only authorized users can access approved applications.
Accelerated Mergers and Acquisitions Integration
In a typical merger or acquisition, the integration can take years as networks are merged and IP address overlaps are managed. ZTNA reduces and simplifies the time and management needed to ensure a successful merger or acquisition, while delivering immediate value to the business.
Our HâpyVPN Solution
Explore the power of secure connectivity with HâpyVPN, your essential partner for an uncompromised industrial VPN experience.
Conclusion
In the face of the growing complexity of cyber threats in remote work environments, adopting ZTNA stands out as a revolutionary solution. By implementing ZTNA solutions, organizations can enhance their security by thoroughly verifying user identities, applying granular access controls, and continuously monitoring network activity.
This proactive approach significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access and strengthens the overall cybersecurity posture of the organization. ZTNA has thus become an essential option for companies looking to protect their remote workforce from ever-evolving threats.
