The fusion of DevOps and the zero-trust approach is a step in the right direction for the IT world. These two concepts, each transformative in its own right, come together to form an alliance, addressing the unique challenges of the modern IT landscape. But what makes this alliance necessary? Why should DevOps and zero trust be mentioned in the same breath? In this article, we explore the symbiotic relationship between the DevOps and zero trust approaches.
The Birth of the Zero-Trust Approach
The zero-trust approach is the brainchild of Forrester Research and was first introduced in 2010. The term ‘zero trust model’ was used by a research analyst at Forrester, John Kindervag, who explained that organisations should not extend trust inside or outside their perimeters.
The zero-trust model
The zero-trust model operates on a foundational principle: never trust, always verify. In this framework, every element—be it resources, applications, infrastructure or users—is assigned an identity. Before any request from these entities is processed, their identity is verified against a Policy Engine to ensure both valid authentication and authorisation. By design, this model assumes every request to be potentially harmful until it is verified as genuine.
To facilitate this, organisations maintain a comprehensive list of policies. These policies are essentially a set of predefined rules that outline the acceptable actions for a given identity. When a request is made, the Policy Engine cross-references it with these established policies. If the request aligns with the policy conditions, it’s approved. Any request that doesn’t meet the policy conditions is not only denied but flagged for further action.
Think of a business as an interconnected motorway. The cars are the identity, on their way to their destination to perform their duties. On the road are several checkpoints (policy engine) that the cars must pass through (all within the security policy requirements) to be able to continue their journey.
While the zero-trust model provides a foundational approach to security, it’s important to understand its application across different areas of an organisation, from the workforce to its data. Let’s briefly explore some specific areas:
Workforce security: Ensuring that everyone accessing the system is authenticated and authorised appropriately.
Device security: Devices necessitate stringent security measures to prevent possible breaches.
Workload security: As businesses migrate to the cloud and adopt microservices, securing each workload is vital to prevent avoidable vulnerabilities.
Network security: Network security is not solely reliant on its perimeter, as internal connections require checks, too. As a result, it demands a granular approach.
Data security: Data requires rigorous protection measures to safeguard its integrity.
Visibility and analytics: Having clear visibility across all activities in the network is essential for threat detection.
Automation and orchestration: Manual interventions are typically too slow to prevent damage. Automation and orchestration, on the other hand, ensure timely responses to security incidents.
DevOps and Zero-Trust: A Match Made in Heaven
Now we’ve explored the basic idea behind the joining of DevOps and a zero-trust approach, let’s draw some parallels between the two concepts to illustrate why they should be closely integrated:
Shared principles
From the outset, DevOps and zero trust emphasise the importance of continuous validation. While DevOps promotes continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), the zero-trust approach mandates continuous verification of all entities attempting to access networks.
Dynamism
Both DevOps and zero-trust are characterised by dynamism. For example, DevOps environments are dynamic, as code changes and deployments occur frequently. Zero trust, with its principles of never trusting and always verifying, ensures that key attributes are constantly validated against the security policy to reduce the risk of vulnerabilities.
Infrastructure-as-Code
With DevOps practices such as Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC)—where infrastructure configurations are treated as code—infrastructure configurations are versioned, stored and deployed automatically. A zero-trust approach ensures that every single change is authenticated and validated, checked against policy and provided a limited time with just enough permission required to run its task, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities.
Microservices and containerisation
As organisations increasingly embrace microservices and containerisation, the complexity of managing and securing these environments grows. However, a zero-trust approach provides a framework to enable the environment to become secure. For instance, before deployment of an app, perform scans on the app image and dependencies as a way to check for potentially harmful vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
In Summary: The DevOps and Zero-Trust Alliance
The integration of DevOps and the zero-trust model demonstrates a shift in IT security. Both offer a robust response to today’s complex security threats, and the alliance ensures that organisations can prioritise agility while securing their digital defences. As organisations navigate the ever-changing IT landscape, embracing this alliance will be key.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of DevOps and zero-trust integration, please read our recent article, which outlines the advantages and implementation challenges that organisations face.