Traditional security models, built around perimeter defences like firewalls and VPNs, are no longer enough to protect organisations from modern cyber threats. Breaches are becoming more sophisticated and frequent, prompting a shift toward 'Zero Trust' and 'Zero Knowledge' security frameworks for sensitive data protection and secure file sharing. While Zero Trust focuses on securing access to data, the data can still be breached. Zero Knowledge is designed to protect the data itself, making it impervious to unauthorised access. This distinction is particularly crucial in sectors like law enforcement, healthcare, and finance, where safeguarding sensitive information and intellectual property protection is of utmost importance.
Cracking the Perimeter
For years, organisations have relied on perimeter security to protect data, assuming that external threats were the primary risk. While perimeter defences offered some level of sensitive data protection, they weren’t enough to keep up with evolving cyber threats. Increasingly, cybercriminals are breaching organisations through various entry points, whether it’s weak spots in on-premises systems or cloud vulnerabilities.
For industries that deal with confidential and highly sensitive information, like law enforcement, government and healthcare, this is especially concerning. Many have opted to keep their data on-premises as a way to keep control over the data’s location and accessibility. However, on-prem systems are equally (or more) vulnerable to breaches, underscoring the need for a more secure, data-centric approach.
Data at its core: Securing What Matters Most
As cloud adoption continues to grow, and due to the vast amounts of data organisations must manage, data-centric security has become a necessity. Rather than just securing the perimeter, data-centric security focuses on protecting the data no matter where it resides, that is, whether on-premises or in the cloud. While the cloud offers some additional security measures over on-prem, it is still the responsibility of the owner of the data to control data access and protection.
For organisations handling personal and sensitive data, this is a significant concern. Ensuring sensitive data and intellectual property protection, regardless of whether on-prem or in the cloud, is now a critical priority.
Zero Trust: Trust No One, Verify Everyone
The Zero Trust model has been a game changer in how we think about security. It operates on the principle that no one, whether inside or outside the network, should be trusted by default. Every user must be authenticated, and every request must be authorised. All communications must be encrypted. By continuously verifying users, devices, and systems, Zero Trust ensures that only those with explicit permission can access sensitive data.
Zero Trust is particularly critical for industries with high-value information. It minimises risk by enforcing “least-privilege access”, continuous authentication, and “micro-segmentation”, which impedes the “lateral movement” of attackers inside the breached network. While it may and often requires substantial investment, Zero Trust is essential for protecting the most sensitive data and ensuring compliance with industry regulations.
The Zero Knowledge Security Model: The Data Protection Fortress
The next level of security comes with the Zero Knowledge security model. Traditionally, encryption is applied to data in transit and when stored on servers, but not when servers and applications access data. The Zero Knowledge approach, however, ensures that no unauthorised parties can see the data at any time. Not even the service provider can access or decrypt the data. This is because the encryption keys are never stored by the Zero Knowledge system, making it virtually impossible for anyone, internal or external, to access the data without authorisation.
For industries where data privacy is non-negotiable, this is the gold standard. The Zero Knowledge security model provides the highest level of sensitive data protection and intellectual property protection as well as peace of mind.
It is time to accept that we need a philosophical shift in the way we think about data and how we protect it. In addition to traditional perimeter security, data-centric security models like the Zero Knowledge security model are essential to truly protect the sensitive data we store and manage. These models provide stronger protection for sensitive data, reducing the risk of breaches and ensuring that high-value information remains secure. While the transition can be complex, the need for robust security frameworks has never been more important. Zero Trust and Zero Knowledge are not just trends; they are the future of protecting our most critical information assets.