Introducing Zero Trust in a Cybersecurity Course
Xinli Wang, Samah Mansour, Mostafa El-Said · 2022
Zero trust (ZT) is a conceptual and architectural model for cybersecurity teams to design networks into secure micro-perimeters and strengthen data security by systematically integrating state-of-the-art technology, risk management, and threat intelligence. ZT has recently gained momentum in the industry to defend against lateral movement of malicious actors in today’s borderless networks. The United States 2021 President Executive Order requires the federal government must adopt security best practice and advance toward a zero trust architecture (ZTA). However, it is not a trivial task to implement a ZTA due to its novelty and complexity. We need to understand what ZTA is to take the advantage of it. Therefore, there is a need to introduce the fundamental concepts, principles, and architectures of ZT in cybersecurity courses at a college to better prepare our new cybersecurity professionals for their careers.