When preparing to implement ZTA, some changes may be required. Which of the following components should the organization consider as part of their checklist to ensure a successful implementation?
Correct Answer:B
When preparing to implement ZTA, some changes may be required in the organization??s governance, compliance, risk management, and operations. These components are essential for ensuring a successful implementation of ZTA, as they involve the following aspects12:
✑ Governance: This refers to the establishment of a clear vision, strategy, and roadmap for ZTA, as well as the definition of roles, responsibilities, and authorities for ZTA stakeholders. Governance also involves the alignment of ZTA with the organization??s mission, goals, and objectives, and the communication and collaboration among ZTA teams and other business units.
✑ Compliance: This refers to the adherence to the relevant laws, regulations, standards, and policies that apply to the organization??s ZTA. Compliance also involves the identification and mitigation of any legal or contractual risks or issues that may arise from ZTA implementation, such as data privacy, security, and sovereignty.
✑ Risk management: This refers to the assessment and management of the risks associated with ZTA implementation, such as technical, operational, financial, or reputational risks. Risk management also involves the development and implementation of risk mitigation strategies, controls, and metrics, as well as the monitoring and reporting of risk status and performance.
✑ Operations: This refers to the execution and maintenance of the ZTA processes, technologies, and services, as well as the integration and interoperability of ZTA with the existing IT infrastructure and systems. Operations also involve the optimization and improvement of ZTA efficiency and effectiveness, as well as the resolution of any operational issues or incidents.
References =
✑ Zero Trust Architecture: Governance
✑ Zero Trust Architecture: Acquisition and Adoption
In a ZTA, where should policies be created?
Correct Answer:C
In a ZTA, policies should be created in the control plane, which is the logical component that defines and manages the policies for accessing resources. The control plane consists of policy entities, such as policy administrators, policy engines, and policy decision points, that are responsible for crafting, maintaining, evaluating, and enforcing the policies1. Thecontrol plane interacts with the data plane, which is the logical component that handles the data transmission and processing, and the network, which is the physical or virtual component that provides the connectivity and transport for the data plane1. The endpoint is the device or system that requests or provides access to a resource1. References =
✑ Zero Trust Architecture | NIST
Which activity of the ZT implementation preparation phase ensures the resiliency of the organization's operations in the event of disruption?
Correct Answer:B
Business continuity and disaster recovery are the activities of the ZT implementation preparation phase that ensure the resiliency of the organization??s operations in the event of disruption. Business continuity refers to the process of maintaining or restoring the essential functions of the organization during and after a crisis, such as a natural disaster, a cyberattack, or a pandemic. Disaster recovery refers to the process of recovering the IT systems, data, and infrastructure that support the business continuity. ZT implementation requires planning and testing the business continuity and disaster recovery strategies and procedures, as well as aligning them with the ZT policies and controls.
References =
✑ Zero Trust Planning - Cloud Security Alliance, section ??Monitor & Measure??
✑ Zero Trust architecture: a paradigm shift in cybersecurity - PwC, section ??Continuous monitoring and improvement??
✑ Zero Trust Implementation, section ??Outline Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA)
implementation steps??
How can we use ZT to ensure that only legitimate users can access a SaaS or PaaS? Select the best answer.
Correct Answer:B
Configuring SAML to accept requests only from the designated ZT gateway ensures that all access requests are authenticated and authorized appropriately. References = Zero Trust Architecture related sources including NIST
What steps should organizations take to strengthen access requirements and protect their resources from unauthorized access by potential cyber threats?
Correct Answer:A
The first step that organizations should take to strengthen access requirements and protect their resources from unauthorized access by potential cyber threats is to understand and identify the data and assets that need to be protected. This step involves conducting a data and asset inventory and classification, which helps to determine the value, sensitivity, ownership, and location of the data and assets. By understanding and identifying the dataand assets that need to be protected, organizations can define the appropriate access policies and controls based on the Zero Trust principles of never trust, always verify, and assume breach.
References = Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT) - Cloud Security Alliance, Zero Trust Training (ZTT) - Module 2: Data and Asset Classification
What is one of the key purposes of leveraging visibility & analytics capabilities in a ZTA?
Correct Answer:D
One of the key purposes of leveraging visibility & analytics capabilities in a ZTA is to continually evaluate user behavior against a baseline to identify unusual actions. This helps to detect and respond to potential threats, anomalies, and deviations from the normal patterns of user activity. Visibility & analytics capabilities also enable the collection and analysis of telemetry data across all the core pillars of ZTA, such as user, device, network, application, and data, and provide insights for policy enforcement and improvement. References =
✑ Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT) prepkit, page 15, section 2.2.3
✑ Zero Trust for Government Networks: 4 Steps You Need to Know, section ??Continuously verify trust with visibility & analytics??
✑ The role of visibility and analytics in zero trust architectures, section ??The basic NIST tenets of this approach include??
✑ What is Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA)? | NextLabs, section ??With real-time access control, users are reliably verified and authenticated before each session??