What is Zero Trust?
Zero trust is a security model based on the principle of "never trust, always verify." It requires strict identity verification for every user and device attempting to access resources, regardless of whether they are inside or outside the network perimeter.
How Does Zero Trust Work?
Traditional security models operate on a "castle and moat" approach, trusting everything inside the network perimeter. Zero trust eliminates implicit trust and instead continuously verifies identity, device health, and permissions for every access request. Key principles include least-privilege access (granting only the minimum permissions needed), microsegmentation (isolating network segments to contain breaches), and continuous monitoring and validation of all network traffic.
In web hosting and cloud environments, zero trust is increasingly important because traditional network perimeters have dissolved with cloud services, remote work, and mobile devices. Implementing zero trust involves multi-factor authentication, device posture assessment, encrypted communications, detailed access logging, and granular access policies based on user identity and context. Solutions like Cloudflare Access, Google BeyondCorp, and Zscaler provide zero trust network access (ZTNA) that replaces traditional VPNs with identity-aware proxies that verify every request.