Advancements in trust architecture tools

Machine IAM is vast and thus difficult, but luckily we have a handy box of great tools, technology, approaches and framework to help us. They make what seems like an insurmountable challenge manageable. Let’s open that tool box and take a look: Authorization frameworks (AuthZen, OPA, XACML, and Cedar) offer fine-grained, access control. They separate authorization logic from code, enabling dynamic policy enforcement based on attributes about the user, action, resource, and environmental context. This makes it easier to define, maintain and scale consistent access controls across systems. Kubernetes Secrets & service accounts help decouple sensitive information like API keys, credentials and certs from application code and infrastructure configuration, or provide identities with dynamic tokens. PKCE and DPOP: PKCE stops attackers from stealing your authorization codes, making OAuth safer for apps. DPoP locks tokens to your device, so even if stolen, they can’t be reused elsewhere. Secrets management tools (AWS and GCP Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, CyberArk Conjur, Hashicorp Vault, OpenBao) provide a secure, centralized way to store and control access to sensitive information such as credentials, API keys, and certificates. They help organizations move away from hardcoded secrets and make it easier to manage secrets across a variety of environments. Secure Production Identity Framework for Everyone (SPIFFE) establishes a universal identity standard for workloads. It issues cryptographically verifiable identities, enabling workloads to securely authenticate with each other across clouds or data centers. SPIFFE removes the need for hardcoded secrets and simplifies zero-trust architectures by automating identity provisioning and rotation. Service meshes (Istio, Linkerd, Teleport) secure and manage service-to-service communication, automating discovery, credentials, and policy enforcement. They embed identity, authentication, and authorization into network traffic, allowing only trusted workloads to interact, while improving visibility and control in complex systems. Token exchange: Think of token exchange as a way to trade one set of credentials for another with just the right privileges for a given task. OAuth 2.0 Token Exchange allows applications to swap tokens, transforming an initial identity or scope into a new, tightly-scoped credential tailored for downstream systems. This minimizes risk by granting only the permissions needed, when needed, keeping your security posture nimble and auditable across complex cloud environments. Workload identity managers (Astrix, Clutch, Entro, Oasis, Token Security, Natoma): Manage legacy and static identities by discovering accounts, static keys, and various credentials. They track ownership, support identity lifecycle management, assist with some credential rotation, and help enforce security policies for these constructs. I’ll be writing more about each one of them. #MachineIAM #NHI #IAM

NIST Just Released New Guidance to Make Zero Trust Operational NIST SP 1800-35 is now live—offering the most actionable Zero Trust Architecture guidance to date. This release includes 19 real-world, vendor-agnostic implementations using commercial off-the-shelf products. Designed for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, it aligns with NIST CSF and SP 800-53, helping security leaders turn Zero Trust principles into executable programs. Key highlights for Technology and Risk Leaders: • Detailed reference architectures to accelerate Zero Trust adoption • Practical enforcement of least privilege, microsegmentation, and continuous verification • Technology-agnostic design patterns for scalable deployment Full NIST project: https://lnkd.in/ej8UQbYj #ZeroTrust #NIST #Cybersecurity #CISO #RiskManagement #SecurityArchitecture #SP1800 #CloudSecurity

In 2024, these were the Top 5 Tools making Zero Trust a Reality in the communities I work with. For skills of the future, the links are to their learning resources: 1. Zscaler With 45% of the Fortune 500 and one-third of the Global 2000 using Zscaler capabilities, Zscaler has become a major driver for Zero Trust adoption across a wide-range of industries, expanding its offerings through built and acquired capabilities. Zscaler's Zero Trust Exchange provides the backbone needed for policy automation of most use cases. Learn: https://lnkd.in/gysytrge 2. Netskope With 30 of the Fortune 100 using Netskope, they are driving Zero Trust broadly across the market. Netskope provides more than the basics of Zero Trust with their "never trust, always verify" concept. Netskope has advanced from its CASB roots to include identity and data centric capabilities designed for the policy automation demands of Zero Trust. Netskope handles many use cases and has an advancing roadmap. Learn: https://lnkd.in/gAdFt_nG 3. Cloudflare With its dedication to developer-friendly security offerings, Cloudflare continues to bring greater capabilities to its portfolio through both built and acquired Zero Trust features. Cloudflare's solutions include identity management, secure web gateway capabilities, and a robust DNS framework, all of which contribute to a secure user experience. Its scalability and ease of integration make it an ideal choice for organizations committed to implementing a Zero Trust architecture. Learn: https://lnkd.in/gcRhTSDJ 4. Google Google's adoption of Zero Trust and acquisition of BeyondCorp led the way towards Zero Trust advancements in the industry. Its focus on implementing security without VPNs paved the way for more organizations to adopt these capabilities. BeyondCorp is offered as an Enterprise offering and its concepts are at the heart of Google Cloud offerings making it easier for Google Cloud customers to start with Zero Trust. Learn: https://lnkd.in/g4vW2CQu 5. Microsoft Microsoft has triple downed on Zero Trust as an answer for ensuring security with AI. During the introduction of its Copilot offerings, Microsoft pointed its customers towards Zero Trust as a foundational answer for securing the use and adoption of Copilot. With its central identity management capabilities and growing number of Microsoft Security features, Microsoft is quickly becoming a major contender in the race towards Zero Trust capabilities. Learn: https://lnkd.in/gBZc-qYq For folks pursuing AI capabilities, Zero Trust is a major element of successfully adopting and getting value from AI. #zerotrust #AI #cybersecurity --- Like this thread? It isn't sponsored and wasn't written by AI. Please let me know what you thought in the comments below. If enough people like this, I'll share the Top DevSecOps Priorities for 2025. Follow me for more insights.