🛡️ Zero Trust Network

“Never Trust, Always Verify” for Users, Devices & Workloads

A Zero Trust Network (ZTN) assumes no implicit trust—not from your LAN, your WAN, your VPN, or the cloud edge.
Every connection is verified explicitly, granted least privilege, and re-verified continuously based on identity, device posture, app sensitivity, data classification, and context.
SolveForce implements Zero Trust as a system: identity + device + network + app policies unified, observability wired to SIEM/SOAR, and rollout done in safe rings with evidence.

Related pillars:
🔐 Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) → /ztna • ☁️ SASE → /sase • 🚪 NAC → /nac
🧩 Microsegmentation → /microsegmentation • 🔑 IAM / SSO / MFA → /iam
🖥️ EDR/XDR → /mdr-xdr • 📊 SIEM/SOAR → /siem-soar • 🔏 DLP → /dlp
🌐 SD-WAN → /sd-wan • ☁️ Cloud → /cloud

🎯 Outcomes (Why Zero Trust with SolveForce)

  • Least privilege everywhere — users get only the app they need; workloads talk only to the services they must.
  • Breach containment by design — microsegmentation + identity-aware policy stops lateral movement.
  • Better UX than legacy VPN — local, high-performance access via ZTNA/SASE POPs; no hair-pin to hubs.
  • Provable security — every decision logged; posture and access evidence shipped to SIEM; automation via SOAR.
  • Composable — works across LAN/WAN/cloud, Kubernetes/service mesh, OT/IoT, and remote work.

🧭 Scope (What We Put Under Zero Trust)

  • Human access — employees, contractors, third-parties via ZTNA/SASE. → /ztna • /sase
  • Device posture — managed endpoints via MDM/UEM + EDR/XDR; unmanaged via restricted profiles. → /mdm • /mdr-xdr
  • Workload-to-workload — mTLS/service identity (SPIFFE/SVID) + microsegmentation on DC, cloud, and K8s. → /microsegmentation
  • Edge entry — NAC (802.1X EAP-TLS) for wired/Wi-Fi; dynamic VLAN/ACL/SGT by posture. → /nac
  • Data controls — DLP labels, tokenization, encryption at rest/in transit; per-route egress policy. → /dlp • /encryption
  • Identity — IAM/SSO/MFA, short-lived tokens, PAM for elevation; secrets from vault. → /iam • /pam • /secrets-management

🧱 Zero Trust Policy Model (Identity → Device → App → Data → Context)

Each request/session is evaluated across five lenses:

  1. Identity — user/service role & assurance (SSO/MFA, claims).
  2. Device posture — EDR/UEM healthy, disk encryption, OS min, cert present.
  3. Application — sanctioned SaaS, private app/API, admin plane risk tier.
  4. Data classification — PII/PHI/PAN/CUI → stronger controls (read-only, watermark, redact).
  5. Context — geo/ASN/time, session risk, change windows, behavior.

Outcome: allow (least privilege) → step-up (MFA/PAM) → isolate (read-only/RBI) → deny.

🧰 Architecture (How It Comes Together)

  • Access edge — SASE POPs enforce SWG/CASB/FWaaS/ZTNA; users attach to nearest POP. → /sase
  • Campus/LAN — NAC with 802.1X EAP-TLS + posture; dynamic VLAN/ACL/SGT; guest/contractor isolation. → /nac
  • Workloads — service mesh or host agents enforce mTLS & per-service policy; microsegmentation for L3-L7. → /microsegmentation
  • WAN/Cloud — SD-WAN steers by SLOs; private on-ramps (Direct Connect/ExpressRoute/Interconnect) for deterministic paths. → /sd-wan • /direct-connect
  • Control plane — IAM + policy engine; SIEM correlates; SOAR executes contain/rollback; keys in KMS/HSM. → /iam • /siem-soar • /key-management

🛠️ Reference Patterns (Choose Your Fit)

A) Workforce Access (VPN Replacement)

  • ZTNA per app; posture-based access; SASE inspection for web/SaaS; legacy VPN only for niche tunnels. → /ztna • /sase

B) Contractor / Third-Party

  • Clientless ZTNA; read-only/watermarks; session recording for admin operations; time-boxed accounts.

C) Privileged Admin

  • PAM elevation + ZTNA; session recording; hardware keys (FIDO2) for step-up MFA; break-glass with short TTL. → /pam

D) Workload ↔ Workload (DC/Cloud/K8s)

  • mTLS service identity + policy (L7 methods/paths); microseg rules compiled from intents; no flat networks. → /microsegmentation

E) OT/IoT & Campus Edge

  • NAC profiling; function-based enclaves; per-device allowlists; ZTNA for jump hosts; NDR for anomalies. → /nac • /ndr

📐 SLO Guardrails (Targets You Can Measure)

KPI / SLOTarget (Recommended)
ZTNA attach (p95)≤ 1–3 s to first byte
SASE POP attach (regional p95)≤ 20–40 ms
Policy decision time (p95)≤ 100–300 ms
NAC auth (802.1X p95)≤ 2–5 s
Microseg false-deny rate (post-tune)≤ 1–2%
Identity step-up success (MFA p95)≤ 3–5 s
Evidence completeness (Sev-1/2)100% (decisions, posture, changes)

SLO breaches trigger SOAR actions (relax/reroute/rollback) and incident tickets. → /siem-soar

🔒 Security Controls (Concrete & Enforceable)

  • Allow only ICMPv6 essentials (ND/PMTUD) and required ports; block everything else by default. → /ipv6
  • TLS/mTLS everywhere; certs via PKI; keys in HSM/KMS; short-lived tokens; no plaintext secrets. → /pki • /key-management • /secrets-management
  • DLP & tokenization for sensitive data; WAF/Bot at boundaries; DDoS stance. → /dlp • /waf • /ddos
  • Logging & retention: access, posture, policy hits → SIEM with WORM options; SOAR for automated containment. → /siem-soar

📊 Observability & Evidence

  • Identity — SSO/MFA results, group claims, PAM elevations.
  • Device — EDR/UEM posture, quarantine events.
  • Network — NAC admits/CoA, microseg enforces/denies, ZTNA attach times, SASE verdicts.
  • App/Data — DLP hits, WAF blocks, API allow/deny, service-mesh policy logs.
    Dashboards link decisions → users/devices/workloads; monthly reports shipped to security & compliance.

🧭 Migration Blueprint (No-Surprise Rollout)

1) Define protect surface — crown-jewel apps/data; map transactions and users/roles.
2) Identity & device posture — SSO/MFA groups; MDM/UEM + EDR baselines. → /iam • /mdm • /mdr-xdr
3) Access edge — pilot ZTNA/SASE for one app group; retire broad user VPN for those users. → /ztna • /sase
4) Campus edge — enforce 802.1X/NAC; dynamic segmentation; guest/contractor isolation. → /nac
5) Workload microseg — intent → policy; simulate → enforce; mTLS service identity. → /microsegmentation
6) Data controls — DLP labels; tokenization; key custody posture. → /dlp • /key-management
7) Operate — SIEM dashboards; SOAR playbooks; quarterly tune-ups & drills. → /siem-soar

📜 Compliance Mapping (Examples)

  • PCI DSS — least privilege, segmentation, encryption, logging & 911 evidence for voice endpoints.
  • HIPAA — minimum necessary, identity & posture checks, immutable logs.
  • ISO 27001 — A.9/A.12/A.16 access/ops/incident controls.
  • NIST 800-53/171 — AC/IA/AU/CM families; Zero Trust aligned.
  • CMMC — enclave separation, per-session authorization, audit exports.

Artifacts (policies, decisions, session logs) are exportable for auditors.

✅ Pre-Engagement Checklist

  • 👤 Identity sources, SSO/MFA posture; group taxonomy; PAM requirements.
  • 💻 Device posture baselines (EDR/UEM, encryption, OS mins).
  • 🗺️ App inventory by risk; crown-jewel protect surface; data classifications (PII/PHI/PAN/CUI).
  • 🌐 Edge posture (NAC, ZTNA/SASE), WAN/SD-WAN policy, cloud on-ramps.
  • 🔑 Key & secret custody (KMS/HSM, vault); certificate plan.
  • 📊 SIEM/SOAR destinations; SLO targets; incident playbooks; change approvals.

🔄 Where Zero Trust Network Fits (Recursive View)

1) Grammar — access paths ride Connectivity & Networks & Data Centers.
2) Syntax — delivered via ZTNA/SASE, NAC, and Microsegmentation across Cloud and on-prem.
3) Semantics — Cybersecurity preserves truth (identity, posture, encryption, logging).
4) Pragmatics — SolveForce AI predicts risk, flags drift, and proposes safe policy changes.
5) Foundation — consistent terms via Primacy of Language.
6) Map — indexed in the SolveForce Codex & Knowledge Hub.

📞 Launch Zero Trust That Users (and Auditors) Appreciate