zero trust
termsecuritynetworking
Stands for: Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA)
A security model that trusts nothing by default and verifies every request, wherever it comes from.
Zero trust replaces the old "trusted inside, hostile outside" perimeter with continuous verification of identity, device, and context for every access, inside the network or not. "Never trust, always verify" is the slogan; least privilege and microsegmentation are how it is built.
Zero trust is a reaction to a specific failure of the old model. Perimeter security assumed that inside the network meant trusted, which worked until laptops left the building, applications moved to somebody else's data centre, and attackers learned that one phished credential buys you the whole interior. Once inside, lateral movement was largely unopposed.
The replacement principle is that location proves nothing. Every request is authenticated and authorized on its own merits, using identity, device posture, and context, regardless of whether it originates in the office or a hotel. Access is granted per resource rather than per network, so a compromised session yields one application rather than a subnet.
The honest caveat is that zero trust is an architecture, not a product, however it is marketed. Buying a gateway does not deliver it; what delivers it is knowing which identities exist, what they should reach, and being willing to enforce that continuously. The hard part was always the inventory and the policy, and no vendor can supply either.
Also known as: zero-trust, zta, never trust always verify, ztna