# Zero Trust

> A security architecture that treats every request — internal or external — as untrusted by default, requiring explicit verification at each boundary.

**Source:** https://pilot.isp.validatus.com/en/glossary/zero-trust
**Language:** en
**Published:** 2025-11-01
**Updated:** 2025-11-01
**Category:** Security
**Tags:** Security, Architecture, Infrastructure

## Definition

Zero Trust is a security model built on the assumption that no network location, device, or identity should be implicitly trusted. Every access request must be authenticated, authorized, and continuously validated against policy.

## Why it matters

Traditional perimeter-based security assumes that anything inside the network is trustworthy. Zero Trust removes that assumption — internal services authenticate to each other the same way external clients do.

## Common misconception

Zero Trust is not a product. Organizations that treat it as a firewall upgrade miss the architectural discipline that makes it work: identity-aware access, least-privilege defaults, and continuous policy evaluation.