Zero Trust - CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 - 1.2

Summary

The video script discusses the concept of zero trust in network security, emphasizing the need for continuous authentication and security checks for every device, process, and user. It explains the separation of data and control planes in security devices and the importance of adaptive identity and security zones for enhanced access control. The script also describes the roles of Policy Enforcement Points and Policy Decision Points in creating a policy-driven access control environment to ensure secure network communication.

Takeaways

• 🔒 The traditional network security model often lacks sufficient checks and balances after the firewall, allowing both authorized and unauthorized access.
• 🛡️ Zero trust is a security model where no one is trusted by default, requiring authentication for every access attempt.
• 🔑 Multi-factor authentication and encryption are common practices in a zero trust environment to enhance security.
• 🛠️ Security devices can be divided into functional planes, such as data and control planes, to better manage security operations.
• 🌐 The data plane handles the actual security processes like forwarding and routing, while the control plane manages configurations and policies.
• 🔍 Adaptive identity technology evaluates user identity and applies security controls based on various factors beyond just user claims.
• 🏢 Limiting network entry points and using security zones can help control access and create implicit trust for certain areas or users.
• 📈 Policy-driven access control evaluates multiple data points to decide the authentication process needed for a user.
• 🚫 Policies can be set to automatically deny access from untrusted zones to trusted resources.
• 👮‍♂️ The Policy Enforcement Point acts as a gatekeeper, evaluating traffic against the security policies set by the Policy Decision Point.
• 🔄 The Policy Administrator facilitates the communication between the Policy Enforcement Point and the Policy Decision Point, ensuring policy enforcement.

Q & A

What is the primary issue with networks that are not configured with a zero trust model?

The primary issue is that once through the firewall, the network is relatively open, allowing both authorized and unauthorized individuals, as well as malicious software, to move freely from system to system without checks or balances.

What is the zero trust model in network security?

The zero trust model is a security framework that requires continuous user authentication and verification for every access request, trusting no device or user by default, and applying security checks to everything on the network.

How does multi-factor authentication fit into the zero trust model?

Multi-factor authentication is a method used in the zero trust model to enhance security by requiring multiple forms of verification during the login process, ensuring that the user is who they claim to be.

What are the two main planes of operation for security devices in a zero trust environment?

The two main planes of operation are the data plane, which handles the actual security processes and data movement, and the control plane, which manages and controls the actions occurring in the data plane.

Can you explain the role of the data plane in a security device?

The data plane is responsible for processing frames, packets, and network data in real time, including forwarding, network address translation, and routing processes that move data across the network.

What functions does the control plane perform in a security device?

The control plane manages configurations, policies, and rules for the device, determining whether data may traverse the network, setting up forwarding policies, and handling routing and Network Address Translation configurations.

How does the concept of adaptive identity contribute to the zero trust model?

Adaptive identity involves examining the identity of an individual and applying security controls based on the user's information and other gathered data about the authentication process, allowing for dynamic and context-aware security measures.

What is a policy-driven access control and how does it relate to the zero trust model?

Policy-driven access control is a system that evaluates individual data points, such as user identity, location, and connection type, and then decides on the authentication process needed to confirm the user's identity, aligning with the zero trust model's principle of verifying every access request.

What are security zones and how do they enhance network security in the zero trust model?

Security zones categorize areas of the network based on their level of trust, such as untrusted, internal, and trusted zones. They allow for the creation of rules that define access permissions between different zones, enhancing security by controlling and monitoring traffic flow.

Can you describe the role of the Policy Enforcement Point in the zero trust model?

The Policy Enforcement Point acts as a gatekeeper, where all traffic must pass through to be evaluated. It gathers information about the traffic and forwards it to the Policy Decision Point, which then makes decisions on whether to allow or disallow the traffic based on predefined security policies.

What is the function of the Policy Decision Point in the zero trust framework?

The Policy Decision Point is responsible for examining authentication requests and making decisions on whether to allow access to the network based on a set of predefined security policies. It works in conjunction with the Policy Enforcement Point and Policy Administrator to enforce these decisions.