Explaining Zero Trust Security to Mom: A Thanksgiving Story!

Like many people in the industry, my Mom and other family members will ask what I do in IT.? My goal is to get out of the inevitable request for assistance on a computer or mobile phone issue (yes, I adhere to a version of the Pottery Barn rule – you fix it, you’ll be fixing it forever).?Last night, was different.? Mom wanted to know more and decided to go several layers deep.?In the end, I said, I help companies transition their security strategy to Zero Trust principles.?Then I got asked… what is Zero Trust?? In a moment of scrambling to turn the technical to relatable, I told her the following.?

Remember Thanksgiving last year when Uncle Phil went through your collection of fine wines? Zero Trust protects against that!? You only get the glass of wine if you’ve pasted a series of tests.? I went further.? He is the summary of the conversation.?

The security model of the past was much like Thanksgiving last year.? The family came over to the party at the house.? Outside we have a camera system and the doors lock and people are greeted at the door and allowed in.? Once inside, they can roam freely.? This is what we call the “castle and moat” model in cybersecurity.? We build big walls and check the flow of data in and out of the business.? Everything inside the walls is trusted, everything outside the walls is untrusted.? The challenge is now we cannot trust everything inside the house.? You have people like Uncle Phil who enjoys fine wines but will only bring a box of Franzia Sunset Blush.? The challenge is family members walk right up, grab whatever drinks they want, and come back for more without any questions asked. For a while, it’s fun, people are socializing, everyone is relaxed, and the drinks are flowing freely.? Unfortunately for you, the wine you enjoy is quickly consumed! ??

So, here is how Zero Trust works. Reimagine Thanksgiving with Uncle Phil, but this time we get one of the young adults, maybe cousin Vinny, as a bartender. The family at the dinner would approach the bar, and Vinny will checks IDs, ensuring everyone is of age (sorry cousin Jacob) and has been invited. He will pour drinks carefully and monitor who’s had enough. Vinny’s oversight keeps things running smoothly and ensures everyone has a good time and he will make sure Uncle Phil only gets one glass of the fine wine and many glasses of Franzia wine he brought.? Vinny can also make sure if anyone needs an Uber home, the family is aware.? Plus, he’ll get a nice tip to cover his trip back to college.? Sure, it’s a bit more controlled, but ultimately, it’s much safer and more enjoyable.?

My Thanksgiving analogy highlights the difference between traditional security frameworks (the open bar) and Zero Trust (the bartender). Now that we are here, let’s dive deeper.

The Open Bar: Legacy Security Frameworks

In traditional security models, organizations operated under the assumption that threats came from outside their network, while everything inside was trusted. This is like hosting an open bar—once someone was inside your party (or network), they could do almost anything they wanted without much scrutiny. This framework is based on a perimeter defense model or castle and moat -

• Perimeter-Centric: Traditional security approaches focus on defending the network’s outer edge. If someone gets through the firewall, they are essentially free to move within the network.
• Implicit Trust: Anyone inside the network is implicitly trusted. They don’t face many (if any) additional checks, even as they access sensitive data.
• Vulnerable to Insider Threats: Since insiders are trusted by default, malicious or compromised users can cause significant damage from within.
• Difficulty Scaling with Cloud and Remote Work: As companies move data and operations to the cloud, and as remote work becomes more common, maintaining a secure perimeter becomes harder, and this "open bar" mentality quickly becomes outdated.

The flaws in this approach have become more apparent with breakdown of the perimeter seen due to the rise of distributed SaaS applications and the hybrid workforce.? Also, the cyber attackers are more sophisticated, insider threats have grown, and modern networks are vastly more complex. Just like at Thanksgiving, with an open bar, the items you value (fine wine) disappear.?

Cousin Vinny, the Bartender: Zero Trust Security

Now, let’s compare that with role cousin Vinny can play.? In Zero Trust, we leverage the principle of “never trust, always verify.” Rather than assuming that everyone inside the network is safe, it treats every user, device, and application as a potential threat. Every action is scrutinized, and access is granted based on verification, much like Vinny will carefully managing the beverages at Thanksgiving.?

• No Implicit Trust: Unlike legacy models, Zero Trust assumes that every person or device is untrusted until they prove otherwise. Every attempt to access data or systems is validated.
• Continuous Verification: Like Bartender Vinny will check IDs for each drink served, Zero Trust continuously verifies users and devices, ensuring they are who they claim to be at every step.?This will make sure our mischievous teenage cousin Jacob will not sneak a beer.?
• Least Privilege: In the same way Vinny might limit how many glasses of fine wine Uncle Phil can have, Zero Trust limits the access granted to users. They only get what they need to do their job, nothing more.
• Adaptable to Cloud and Remote Work: Zero Trust works well in modern environments, where users may be accessing resources from various locations, using different devices. It adapts to these new realities by securing individual transactions, no matter where they occur.

Zero Trust is the Smart Choice

In today's digital landscape, where threats can come from both inside and outside the network, Zero Trust is like having bartender Vinny at your party—he will watch over interactions, ensuring things don’t get out of hand, protect the fine wine and also make good money to cover his trip home.?

After I explained Zero Trust to my Mom, she’s going to make sure we implement it this Thanksgiving!!!?

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