Supply Chains are More Secure when Built on Zero Trust

In 2022, a study on supply chain risks indicated that more than half of organizational cybersecurity breaches happen via third-party vendors. Statistics like this, in addition to recent high-profile breaches,  prompted the President of the United States to issue Executive Order (EO) 14028 to improve the nation’s cybersecurity.

The order makes many recommendations specifically for the software supply chain, including making a risk assessment, securing your systems, and complying with mandates. Once you’ve aligned with the government’s highly secure standards for supply chain security, the EO recommends an added layer of security: Zero Trust.

One permission too many is all it takes to create a vulnerability.

You can trust your employees with many things. But sooner or later, even the best employee will make a mistake. And some bad actor somewhere is going to take that mistake and run with it. With hackers becoming increasingly sophisticated, human error is a risk you can no longer afford to take. Zero Trust is a good answer.

Zero Trust moves network security from the perimeter to—or closer to—the individual data repository or application. Equally important, Zero Trust increases the breadth and depth of continual verification and evaluation versus the traditional single verification at the network perimeter. It requires both the validation of the user’s identity and their system configuration before granting access to an application area.  In theory and in practice, it assumes that no actor, service, or system can be trusted. With a September 2024 Zero Trust deadline looming for government agencies, software suppliers who align with the mandate now will show government agencies they’re serious about cybersecurity and maintaining good cyber hygiene.

Once you’ve established your Zero Trust architecture, it’s critical to communicate why this is important throughout the organization and create a culture of Zero Trust. You are asking people to adopt a more secure, but less convenient way of working. If they understand the weight of what you are all trying to accomplish as a team, you’ll be more successful.

Trust no one. No one.

One of the tips for creating a Zero Trust network is to account for all users. This involves determining the level of access needed on a person-by-person basis. Job roles and responsibilities are a good way to do this. Performing individualized risk assessments can also help. Limiting use of permissions, such as allowing some user to only view and not edit or download files is a way to hone security even more. Of course, this is not just about internal users, but throughout your supply chain. Every vendor, client and user on your system needs to be considered.

Automation makes Zero Trust even less trusting.

EO 14028 repeatedly mentions using automation to create efficiencies. They know they are asking a lot of people to adhere to mandates, create secure baselines and build a Zero Trust program on top of that secure foundation. SteelCloud’s patented software does the heavy lifting of automating policy and creating a secure baseline.

But there are solutions that can automate Zero Trust, too. Automation doesn’t just save time in implementing Zero Trust, it also eliminates the human error that comes from manual updating and monitoring. Automation tools can automate certificate issuance, renewal, and revocation, saving you weeks and months from an overwhelming process.

With time running out, here’s a great place to start.

So your agenda is set. Secure your baselines. Establish compliance. And institute a Zero Trust architecture. If you have unlimited resources, you got this. But nobody has unlimited resources, making automation a necessary tactic in your approach.

When it comes to STIG, CIS and CMMC compliance, ConfigOS will help you create a secure, compliant baseline to lay your Zero Trust architecture on top of. And we can make that happen tomorrow. It only takes a few hours with automation software vs. weeks and months through manual means. To see a demonstration or ask one of our experts for advice on Zero Trust, software supply chain compliance or to otherwise ruin a hacker’s day, contact SteelCloud today.