Zero Trust Architecture¶

Network location does not confer trust; every access request must be authenticated, authorized, and encrypted regardless of origin - the network perimeter is not a security boundary.

Tension Addressed¶

Security vs. Performance

Recognizable As¶

Service-to-service authentication (mTLS); identity-based access policies; micro-segmentation; no implicit trust for internal networks; continuous verification; software-defined perimeters.

Canonical Sources¶

Forrester Research, "No More Chewy Centers" (2010); NIST Special Publication 800-207 (Zero Trust Architecture)

Transfers To¶

Organizational trust (verify before trusting partners), distributed systems (service authentication), physical security (no "trusted zones"), supply chain security

Zero trust evolved from the realization that perimeter security fails once an attacker is inside. If internal traffic is unprotected, any breach becomes a catastrophe.