SANS Institute's Latest Strategy Guide Reveals Key Challenges
and Solutions
BETHESDA, Md., July 16,
2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As organizations continue
to fortify their cybersecurity strategies in response to an
ever-evolving threat landscape, many are turning to Zero Trust
architectures to safeguard their data. However, implementing Zero
Trust is not without its challenges. According to a new strategy
guide from the SANS Institute, "Navigating the Path to a State of
Zero Trust in 2024," businesses often stumble over key obstacles in
their journey towards Zero Trust adoption.
"From cultural shifts to technical
deployments, this offers vital guidance to help organizations
successfully navigate the complexities of Zero Trust and enhance
their cybersecurity resilience."
"The path to achieving a true state of Zero Trust isn't
straightforward. Organizations often encounter several fundamental
challenges when attempting to implement end-to-end Zero Trust
principles across their environment," said Ismael Valenzuela, SANS Senior Instructor and
author of the Cyber Defense and Blue Team Operations course, SANS
SEC530: Defensible Security Architecture and Engineering. "By
understanding and addressing these common mistakes, businesses can
make better strategic and tactical decisions and increase their
resiliency in the face of evolving threats."
Here are the top five mistakes identified:
● Overlooking the Importance of Organizational Culture: Zero
Trust is more than just a technological shift; it requires a
fundamental change in organizational culture. Chief Information
Security Officers (CISOs) must align security with strategic,
operational, and financial priorities. As the strategy guide
states, "Effective security is driven by people, processes, and
technology." Failure to secure stakeholder buy-in from the outset
can doom Zero Trust initiatives to fail.
● Underestimating Human Risk: Employee error and negligence
account for over 80% of data breaches. Hybrid work environments
blur the lines between personal and professional spaces, increasing
the complexity of monitoring user activity. "A Zero Trust
architecture is an important line of defense against human risk,"
the strategy guide emphasizes. Organizations must implement
continuous monitoring and real-time assessment of user behavior to
mitigate these risks.
● Neglecting the Supply Chain: Recent high-profile supply chain
attacks have underscored the vulnerabilities within interconnected
systems. According to Gartner, by 2025, 45% of organizations
worldwide will have experienced attacks on their supply chains.
Zero Trust principles help limit the impact of these breaches by
ensuring continuous verification and deeper visibility into user
activity.
● Failing to Plan for Sustainable Success: Implementing Zero
Trust is a long-term commitment that requires continuous
improvement and adaptation. The SANS strategy guide highlights the
importance of effective change management practices: "Effective
change management ensures stakeholder buy-in, facilitates user
adoption, minimizes disruption, promotes continuous improvement,
and enhances collaboration."
● Inadequate Measurement of Success: Measuring the effectiveness
of a Zero Trust framework is crucial for maintaining stakeholder
support. The guide suggests several metrics, including
authentication success rates, policy compliance rates, and the time
to detect and respond to incidents. These metrics provide a clear
picture of the framework's impact and highlight areas for
improvement.
"Adopting the Zero Trust 'never trust, always verify' mindset is
essential for modern cybersecurity," said Valenzuela. "However, the
real challenge lies in having a realistic understanding of what a
Zero Trust architecture looks like and avoiding common pitfalls
during implementation. From cultural shifts to technical
deployments, this offers vital guidance to help organizations
successfully navigate the complexities of Zero Trust and enhance
their cybersecurity resilience."
For more information on implementing Zero Trust and to download
the full strategy guide, visit: https://www.sans.org/u/1xo2
Media Contact
Jenn Elston, SANS Institute,
301-654-7267, press@sans.org, SANS.org
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SOURCE SANS Institute