Question 5
A R.T.I.E.'s business is forecast to grow tremendously in the next year, the organization will not only need to hire new employees but also requires contracting with third-party vendors to continue seamless operations. A .R.T.I.E. uses a VPN to support its employees on the corporate network, but the organization is facing a security challenge in supporting the third-party business vendors.
To better meet A .R.T.I.E.'s security needs, the cybersecurity team suggested adopting a Zero Trust architecture (ZTA). The main aim was to move defenses from static, network-based perimeters to focus on users, assets, and resources. Zero Trust continuously ensures that a user is authentic and the request for resources is also valid. ZTA also helps to secure the attack surface while supporting vendor access.
What is the main challenge that ZTA addresses?
Authorization of A .R.T.I.E. employees.
Access to the corporate network for third-party vendors.
Proactive defense in-depth strategy.
Correct answer: C
Explanation:
The main challenge that Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) addresses is the access to the corporate network for third-party vendors. ZTA is a security model that assumes no implicit trust is granted to assets or user accounts based solely on their physical or network location (i.e., local area networks versus the internet) or based on asset ownership (enterprise or personally owned)12. It mandates that any attempt to access resources be authenticated and authorized within a dynamic policy context.A .R.T.I.E.'s business model involves contracting with third-party vendors to continue seamless operations, which presents a security challenge. The traditional VPN-based approach to network security is not sufficient for this scenario because it does not provide granular control over user access and does not verify the trustworthiness of devices and users continuously2.Implementing ZTA would address this challenge by:Ensuring that all users, even those within the network perimeter, must be authenticated and authorized to access any corporate resources.Providing continuous validation of the security posture of both the user and the device before granting access to resources.Enabling the organization to apply more granular security controls, which is particularly important when dealing with third-party vendors who require access to certain parts of the network31.This approach aligns with the case study's emphasis on securing the attack surface while supporting vendor access, as it allows A .R.T.I.E. to grant access based on the principle of least privilege, reducing the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data and systems4.
The main challenge that Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) addresses is the access to the corporate network for third-party vendors. ZTA is a security model that assumes no implicit trust is granted to assets or user accounts based solely on their physical or network location (i.e., local area networks versus the internet) or based on asset ownership (enterprise or personally owned)12. It mandates that any attempt to access resources be authenticated and authorized within a dynamic policy context.
A .R.T.I.E.'s business model involves contracting with third-party vendors to continue seamless operations, which presents a security challenge. The traditional VPN-based approach to network security is not sufficient for this scenario because it does not provide granular control over user access and does not verify the trustworthiness of devices and users continuously2.
Implementing ZTA would address this challenge by:
Ensuring that all users, even those within the network perimeter, must be authenticated and authorized to access any corporate resources.
Providing continuous validation of the security posture of both the user and the device before granting access to resources.
Enabling the organization to apply more granular security controls, which is particularly important when dealing with third-party vendors who require access to certain parts of the network31.
This approach aligns with the case study's emphasis on securing the attack surface while supporting vendor access, as it allows A .R.T.I.E. to grant access based on the principle of least privilege, reducing the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data and systems4.