Zta Nist SP 1800 35b Preliminary Draft
Zta Nist SP 1800 35b Preliminary Draft
Zta Nist SP 1800 35b Preliminary Draft
July 2022
PRELIMINARY DRAFT
1 DISCLAIMER
2 Certain commercial entities, equipment, products, or materials may be identified by name or company
3 logo or other insignia in order to acknowledge their participation in this collaboration or to describe an
4 experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply special
5 status or relationship with NIST or recommendation or endorsement by NIST or NCCoE; neither is it
6 intended to imply that the entities, equipment, products, or materials are necessarily the best available
7 for the purpose.
8 While NIST and the NCCoE address goals of improving management of cybersecurity and privacy risk
9 through outreach and application of standards and best practices, it is the stakeholder’s responsibility to
10 fully perform a risk assessment to include the current threat, vulnerabilities, likelihood of a compromise,
11 and the impact should the threat be realized before adopting cybersecurity measures such as this
12 recommendation.
13 National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 1800-35B, Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol.
14 Spec. Publ. 1800-35B, 113 pages, (July 2022), CODEN: NSPUE2
15 FEEDBACK
16 You can improve this guide by contributing feedback. As you review and adopt this solution for your
17 own organization, we ask you and your colleagues to share your experience and advice with us.
20 All comments are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act.
41 To learn more about the NCCoE, visit https://www.nccoe.nist.gov/. To learn more about NIST, visit
42 https://www.nist.gov.
50 The documents in this series describe example implementations of cybersecurity practices that
51 businesses and other organizations may voluntarily adopt. These documents do not describe regulations
52 or mandatory practices, nor do they carry statutory authority.
53 ABSTRACT
54 A zero trust architecture (ZTA) focuses on protecting data and resources. It enables secure authorized
55 access to enterprise resources that are distributed across on-premises and multiple cloud environments,
56 while enabling a hybrid workforce and partners to access resources from anywhere, at any time, from
57 any device in support of the organization’s mission. Each access request is evaluated by verifying the
58 context available at access time, including the requester’s identity and role, the requesting device’s
59 health and credentials, and the sensitivity of the resource. If the enterprise’s defined access policy is
60 met, a secure session is created to protect all information transferred to and from the resource. A real-
61 time and continuous policy-driven, risk-based assessment is performed to establish and maintain the
66 KEYWORDS
67 enhanced identity governance (EIG); identity, credential, and access management (ICAM); zero trust;
68 zero trust architecture (ZTA).
69 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
70 We are grateful to the following individuals for their generous contributions of expertise and time.
Name Organization
Daniel Cayer F5
David Clark F5
Jay Kelley F5
Jamie Lozan F5
Jason Wilburn F5
71 * Former employee; all work for this publication was done while at MITRE
72 The Technology Partners/Collaborators who have or will participate in this project’s current or upcoming
73 builds submitted their capabilities in response to a notice in the Federal Register. Respondents with
74 relevant capabilities or product components were invited to sign a Cooperative Research and
75 Development Agreement (CRADA) with NIST, allowing them to participate in a consortium to build this
76 example solution. We are working with the following list of collaborators.
77 DOCUMENT CONVENTIONS
78 The terms “shall” and “shall not” indicate requirements to be followed strictly to conform to the
79 publication and from which no deviation is permitted. The terms “should” and “should not” indicate that
80 among several possibilities, one is recommended as particularly suitable without mentioning or
81 excluding others, or that a certain course of action is preferred but not necessarily required, or that (in
82 the negative form) a certain possibility or course of action is discouraged but not prohibited. The terms
83 “may” and “need not” indicate a course of action permissible within the limits of the publication. The
84 terms “can” and “cannot” indicate a possibility and capability, whether material, physical, or causal.
92 ITL may require from the patent holder, or a party authorized to make assurances on its behalf, in
93 written or electronic form, either:
94 a) assurance in the form of a general disclaimer to the effect that such party does not hold and does not
95 currently intend holding any essential patent claim(s); or
96 b) assurance that a license to such essential patent claim(s) will be made available to applicants desiring
97 to utilize the license for the purpose of complying with the guidance or requirements in this ITL draft
98 publication either:
99 1. under reasonable terms and conditions that are demonstrably free of any unfair discrimination;
100 or
103 Such assurance shall indicate that the patent holder (or third party authorized to make assurances on its
104 behalf) will include in any documents transferring ownership of patents subject to the assurance,
105 provisions sufficient to ensure that the commitments in the assurance are binding on the transferee,
106 and that the transferee will similarly include appropriate provisions in the event of future transfers with
107 the goal of binding each successor-in-interest.
108 The assurance shall also indicate that it is intended to be binding on successors-in-interest regardless of
109 whether such provisions are included in the relevant transfer documents.
220 Many organizations would like to address these challenges by migrating to a ZTA, but they have been
221 hindered by several factors, such as the following:
222 No single ZTA solution exists; ZTA deployment requires leveraging integration of many deployed
223 existing technologies that are of varying maturity and may not all have been designed to
224 interoperate with each other. It also requires organizations to identify technology gaps to build
225 a complete ZTA.
226 Organizations may lack the time and resources to sort out what combination of ZTA
227 technologies would work best for them.
228 ZTA requires organizations to identify and prioritize their resources and develop explicit policies
229 for determining the conditions that must be met in order for a subject to be granted access to
230 each resource. These conditions can depend on many factors beyond the traditional ones of
231 subject identity and role; they may involve attributes such as subject and resource location, time
232 of day, and the device being used and its health status. Some organizations may find the need to
233 develop and manage such policies daunting.
234 Often organizations do not have a complete inventory of their assets or a clear understanding of
235 the criticality of their data. They also do not fully understand the transactions that occur
236 between subjects, resources, applications, and services.
1
As with NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-207 [1], throughout this document subject will be used unless the
section relates directly to a human end user, in which case user will be used instead of the more generic subject.
265 The concepts and principles in NIST SP 800-207, Zero Trust Architecture are applied to enterprise
266 networks that are composed of pre-established devices and components and that store critical
267 corporate resources both on-premises and in the cloud. For each access request, ZTA verifies the
268 requester’s identity and role, the requesting device’s health and credentials, and possibly other
269 information. If defined policy is met, ZTA dynamically creates a secure connection to protect all
270 information transferred to and from the accessed resource. ZTA performs real-time, continuous
271 behavioral analysis and risk-based assessment of the access transaction or session.
272 The example solutions are built starting with a baseline designed to resemble a typical existing
273 enterprise environment that is assumed to have an identity store and other security components in
284 Once the remaining example implementations of the EIG crawl phase of the project are complete, an
285 EIG approach that is not limited to using an ICAM component as the PDP (i.e., an EIG run phase) will be
286 implemented. After that, additional supporting components and features will be deployed to address an
287 increasing number of the ZTA requirements, progressing the project toward eventual demonstration of
288 the micro-segmentation and software-defined perimeter deployment options as well.
297 Support teleworkers by enabling them to access corporate resources regardless of their
298 location—on-premises, at home, or on public Wi-Fi at a neighborhood coffee shop.
299 Protect resources regardless of their location—on-premises or in the cloud.
300 Limit the insider threat by rejecting the outdated assumption that any user located within the
301 network boundary should be automatically trusted.
302 Limit breaches by reducing an attacker’s ability to move laterally in the network. Access controls
303 can be enforced on an individual resource basis, so an attacker who has access to one resource
304 won’t be able to use it as a springboard for reaching other resources.
305 Improve incident detection, response, and recovery to minimize impact when breaches occur.
306 Limiting breaches reduces the footprint of any compromise and the time to recovery.
307 Protect sensitive corporate data by using strong encryption both while data is in transit and
308 while it is at rest. Grant subjects access to a resource only after enforcing consistent
325 NIST is adopting an agile process to publish this content. Each volume is being made available as soon as
326 possible rather than delaying release until all volumes are completed. Work continues on implementing
327 the example solutions and developing other parts of the content. As a preliminary draft, we will publish
328 at least one additional draft of this volume for public comment before it is finalized.
330 NIST SP 1800-35A: Executive Summary – why we wrote this guide, the challenge we address,
331 why it could be important to your organization, and our approach to solving this challenge
332 NIST SP 1800-35B: Approach, Architecture, and Security Characteristics – what we built and why
333 (you are here)
334 NIST SP 1800-35C: How-To Guides – instructions for building the example implementations,
335 including all the security-relevant details that would allow you to replicate all or parts of this
336 project
337 NIST SP 1800-35D: Functional Demonstrations – use cases that have been defined to showcase
338 ZTA security capabilities and the results of demonstrating them with each of the example
339 implementations
340 Depending on your role in your organization, you might use this guide in different ways:
341 Business decision makers, including chief security and technology officers, will be interested in the
342 Executive Summary, NIST SP 1800-35A, which describes the following topics:
349 You might share the Executive Summary, NIST SP 1800-35A, with your leadership team members to help
350 them understand the importance of migrating toward standards-based ZTA implementations that align
351 to the concepts and principles in NIST SP 800-207, Zero Trust Architecture.
352 IT professionals who want to implement similar solutions will find the whole practice guide useful. You
353 can use the how-to portion of the guide, NIST SP 1800-35C, to replicate all or parts of the builds created
354 in our lab. The how-to portion of the guide provides specific product installation, configuration, and
355 integration instructions for implementing the example solution. We do not re-create the product
356 manufacturers’ documentation, which is generally widely available. Rather, we show how we
357 incorporated the products together in our environment to create an example solution. Also, you can use
358 Functional Demonstrations, NIST SP 1800-35D, which provides the use cases that have been defined to
359 showcase ZTA security capabilities and the results of demonstrating them with each of the example
360 implementations.
361 This guide assumes that IT professionals have experience implementing security products within the
362 enterprise. While we have used a suite of commercial products to address this challenge, this guide does
363 not endorse these particular products. Your organization can adopt this solution or one that adheres to
364 these guidelines in whole, or you can use this guide as a starting point for tailoring and implementing
365 parts of a ZTA. Your organization’s security experts should identify the products that will best integrate
366 with your existing tools and IT system infrastructure. We hope that you will seek products that are
367 congruent with applicable standards and best practices.
368 A NIST Cybersecurity Practice Guide does not describe “the” solution, but example solutions. This is a
369 preliminary draft guide. As the project progresses, the preliminary draft will be updated, and additional
370 volumes will also be released for comment. We seek feedback on the publication’s contents and
371 welcome your input. Comments, suggestions, and success stories will improve subsequent versions of
372 this guide. Please contribute your thoughts to nccoe-zta-project@list.nist.gov.
375 3 Approach
376 The NCCoE issued an open invitation to technology providers to participate in demonstrating
377 approaches to deploying ZTA in a typical enterprise network environment. The objective was to use
378 commercially available technology to produce example ZTA implementations that manage secure access
379 to corporate resources hosted on-premises or in the cloud while supporting access from anywhere, at
380 any time, using any device.
381 The NCCoE prepared a Federal Register Notice [3] inviting technology providers to provide products
382 and/or expertise to compose prototype ZTAs. Core components sought included ZTA policy engines,
383 policy administrators, and policy enforcement points. Supporting components supporting data security,
384 endpoint security, identity and access management, and security analytics were also requested. In
385 addition, device and network infrastructure components such as laptops, tablets, and other devices that
386 connect to the enterprise were sought, as were data and compute resources, applications, and services
387 that are hosted and managed on-premises, in the cloud, at the edge, or some combination of these. The
388 NCCoE provided a network infrastructure that was designed to encompass the existing (non-ZTA)
389 network resources that a medium or large enterprise might typically have deployed, and the ZTA core
390 and supporting components and devices were integrated into this.
391 Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) were established with qualified
392 respondents, and build teams were assembled. The build teams fleshed out the initial architectures, and
393 the collaborators’ components were composed into two example implementations, i.e., builds. With
394 twenty-four collaborators participating in the project, the build teams that were assembled sometimes
395 included vendors that offer overlapping capabilities. We made an effort to showcase capabilities from
396 each vendor when possible. In other cases, we worked with the collaborators to have them work out a
415 This project began with a clean laboratory environment that we populated with various applications and
416 services that would be expected in a typical enterprise to create several baseline enterprise
417 architectures. Then we designed and built two implementations of the EIG crawl phase deployment
418 approach using a variety of commercial products.
419 Given the importance of discovery to the successful implementation of a ZTA, as part of the baseline
420 environment we deployed tools that could be run to continuously observe the environment and use
421 those observations to audit and validate the documented baseline map on an ongoing basis. Because we
422 had instantiated the baseline environment ourselves, we already had a good initial understanding of it.
423 However, we were able to use the discovery tools to audit and validate what we deployed and
424 provisioned, correlate known data with information reported by the tools, and use the tool outputs to
425 formulate initial ZT policy, ultimately ensuring that observed network flows correlate to static policies.
426 EIG uses the identity of subjects and device health as the main determinants of policy decisions.
427 Depending on the current state of identity management in the enterprise, deploying EIG solutions is an
428 initial key step that will be leveraged to support the micro-segmentation and software-defined
429 perimeter (SDP) deployment approaches, which will be covered in the later phases of the project. Our
430 strategy is to follow an agile implementation methodology to build everything iteratively and
431 incrementally while adding more capabilities to evolve to a complete ZTA. We are starting with the
459 This project focuses primarily on various types of user access to enterprise resources sprinkled across a
460 hybrid network environment. More specifically, the focus is on behaviors of enterprise employees,
461 partners, contractors, and guests accessing enterprise resources while connected from the corporate (or
462 enterprise headquarters) network, a branch office, or the public internet. Access requests can occur
463 over both the enterprise-owned part of the infrastructure and the public/non-enterprise-owned part.
464 This requires that all access requests be secure, authorized, and verified before access is enforced,
465 regardless of where the request is initiated or where the resources are located, i.e., whether on-
466 premises or in the cloud. Discovery of resources, assets, communication flows, and other elements is
467 also within scope.
474 Only implementations of the EIG crawl phase deployment approach are within scope at this time. Builds
475 of more complex ZTAs will be undertaken in later phases of the project.
478 NIST SP 800-207, Zero Trust Architecture is a definitive source of ZTA concepts and principles.
479 Enterprises that want to migrate gradually to an increasing use of ZTA concepts and principles in
480 their network environments will need to integrate ZTA with their legacy enterprise and cloud
481 systems.
482 To prepare for a migration to ZTA, enterprises will need to inventory and prioritize all resources
483 that require protection based on risk. They will also need to define policies that determine
484 under what set of conditions subjects will be given access to each resource based on attributes
485 of both the subject and the resource (e.g., location, type of authentication used, user role), as
486 well as other variables such as day and time.
487 Enterprises should use a risk-based approach to set and prioritize milestones for their gradual
488 adoption and integration of ZTA across their enterprise environment.
489 There is no single approach for migrating to ZTA that is best for all enterprises.
490 There is not necessarily a clear point at which an organization can be said to have achieved a
491 state of “full” or 100% ZTA compliance. Continuous improvement is the objective.
492 Devices, applications, and other non-human entities can have different levels of capability:
493 o Neither host-based firewalls nor host-based intrusion prevention systems (IPS) are
494 mandatory components; they are, however, capabilities that can be added when a
495 device is capable of supporting them.
496 o Some limited functionality devices that are not able to host firewall, IPS, and other
497 capabilities on their own may be associated with services that provide these capabilities
498 for them. In this case, both the device and its supporting services can be considered the
499 subject in the ZTA access interaction.
500 o Some devices are bound to users (e.g., desktop, laptop, smart phone); other devices are
501 not bound to users (e.g., servers, applications, services). Both types of devices can be
502 subjects and request access to enterprise resources.
Technology Collaborators
Appgate IBM Ping Identity
AWS Ivanti Radiant Logic
Broadcom Software Lookout SailPoint
Cisco Mandiant Tenable
DigiCert Microsoft Trellix
F5 Okta VMware
Forescout Palo Alto Networks Zimperium
Google Cloud PC Matic Zscaler
510 Each of these technology partners and collaborators, as well as the relevant products and capabilities
511 they bring to this ZTA effort, are described in the following subsections.
537 The following subsections briefly list some AWS services relevant to ZTA that are being provided in
538 support of this project, organized by category of service.
544 Cognito: Amazon Cognito lets organizations add user sign-up, sign-in, and access control to web and
545 mobile apps quickly and easily. Cognito scales to millions of users and supports sign-in with social
546 identity providers, such as Apple, Facebook, Google, and Amazon, and enterprise identity providers via
547 Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) 2.0 and OpenID Connect.
554 PrivateLink: AWS PrivateLink provides private connectivity between VPCs, AWS services, and on-
555 premises networks without exposing traffic to the public internet. AWS PrivateLink makes it easy to
556 connect services across different accounts and VPCs to significantly simplify network architecture.
557 Network Firewall: AWS Network Firewall is a managed service that makes it easy to deploy essential
558 network protections for all of an organization’s Amazon VPCs.
562 Route 53: Amazon Route 53 is a highly available and scalable cloud Domain Name System (DNS) web
563 service. It is designed to give developers and businesses an extremely reliable and cost-effective way to
564 route end users to internet applications. Amazon Route 53 is fully compliant with IPv6 as well. With
565 Route 53 Resolver an organization can filter and regulate outbound DNS traffic for its VPC.
569 ECS: Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS) is a fully managed container orchestration service
570 that makes it easy to deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications.
571 EKS: Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS) is a managed container service to run and scale
572 Kubernetes applications in the cloud or on-premises.
576 S3: Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) is an object storage service that offers scalability, data
577 availability, security, and performance.
582 Security Hub: AWS Security Hub is a cloud security posture management service that performs security
583 best practice checks, aggregates alerts, and enables automated remediation.
584 CloudWatch: Amazon CloudWatch is a monitoring and observability service built for DevOps engineers,
585 developers, site reliability engineers (SREs), IT managers, and product owners. CloudWatch provides
586 data and actionable insights to monitor applications, respond to system-wide performance changes, and
587 optimize resource utilization.
588 CloudTrail: AWS CloudTrail monitors and records account activity across AWS infrastructures, giving
589 organizations control over storage, analysis, and remediation actions.
592 Firewall Manager: AWS Firewall Manager is a security management service which allows organizations
593 to centrally configure and manage firewall rules across their accounts and applications in AWS
594 Organizations.
633 3.4.3.5 Information Centric Analytics (ICA), part of Data Loss Prevention
634 User and entity behavior analytics is a vital tool to reduce user-based risk. Using it, customers can
635 identify anomalous or suspicious activity to help discover potential insider threats and data exfiltration.
636 It builds behavior profiles of users and entities so high-risk accounts can be investigated. Wider risk
637 context is available when security event telemetry is correlated from many data sources, including DLP,
638 Endpoint Protection, and ProxySG.
639 3.4.3.6 Symantec Endpoint Security Complete, including Endpoint Detection and
640 Response (EDR) and Mobile Security
641 Symantec’s endpoint security offering delivers protection, detection, and response in a single solution.
642 Symantec Endpoint Security Complete addresses threats along the entire attack chain. It protects all
643 endpoints (workstations, servers, iOS and Android mobile phones and tablets) across all major operating
644 systems, is easy to deploy with a single-agent installation, and provides flexible management options
645 (cloud, on-premises, and hybrid).
701 As a policy input point, Secure Endpoint delivers deep visibility, context, and control to rapidly detect,
702 contain, and remediate advanced threats if they evade front-line defenses. It can also eliminate malware
703 with a few clicks and provide a cost-effective security solution without affecting operational efficiency.
717 Secure Network Analytics can be deployed on-premises as a hardware appliance or virtual machine
718 (VM), or cloud-delivered as a SaaS solution. It works with the entire Cisco router and switch portfolio as
719 well as a wide variety of other security solutions.
780 3.4.6 F5
781 F5 empowers its customers to create, secure, and operate applications that deliver extraordinary digital
782 experiences. Fueled by automation and AI-driven insights, these applications will naturally adapt based
783 on their changing environment—so companies can focus on their core business, boost speed to market,
784 improve operations, and build trust with their customers. By enabling these adaptive applications, F5
785 with NGINX and F5 Distributed Cloud Services technologies offers a comprehensive suite of solutions for
786 every digital organization.
797 BIG-IP modules provide the ability to layer on additional capabilities. The modules being considered for
798 this project are discussed in the subsections below.
846 The Forescout Continuum Platform provides complete asset visibility of connected devices, continuous
847 compliance, network segmentation, network access control, and a strong foundation for zero trust.
848 Forescout customers gain data-powered intelligence to accurately detect risks and quickly remediate
849 cyberthreats without disruption of critical business assets. https://www.forescout.com/company/
946 IBM Security QRadar SIEM helps security teams detect, prioritize, and respond to threats across the
947 enterprise. As an integral part of an organization’s XDR and zero trust strategies, it automatically
948 aggregates and analyzes log and flow data from thousands of devices, endpoints, and apps across the
949 network, providing single, prioritized alerts to speed incident analysis and remediation. QRadar SIEM is
950 available for on-premises and cloud environments.
951 IBM Security QRadar SOAR is designed to help security teams respond to cyberthreats with confidence,
952 automate with intelligence, and collaborate with consistency. It guides a team in resolving incidents by
953 codifying established incident response processes into dynamic playbooks. The open and agnostic
954 platform helps accelerate and orchestrate response by automating actions with intelligence and
955 integrating with other security tools.
956 IBM Security QRadar XDR Connect is a cloud-native, open XDR solution that saves time by connecting
957 tools, workflows, insights, and people. The solution adapts to a team’s skills and needs, whether the
958 user is an analyst looking for streamlined visibility and automated investigations or an experienced
1001 The Ivanti Neurons for UEM platform provides the fundamental visibility and IT controls needed to
1002 secure, manage, and monitor any corporate or employee-owned mobile device or desktop that accesses
1003 business-critical data. The Neurons for UEM platform allows organizations to secure a vast range of
1004 employee and BYOD devices being used within the organization while managing the entire life cycle of
1005 the device, including:
1062 The Director - This is the main component of the platform and provides the following
1063 functionality:
1064 o Acts as the Integration point and content manager for the SIEM and other components
1065 of the security stack
1066 o Hosts the Content Library (Actions, Sequences, Evaluations, and Files) used for testing
1067 security controls
1068 o Manages the Actor assignment during testing
1069 o Aggregates testing results and facilitates report creation
1070 o Maintains connections with the Mandiant Updater and Content Services, allowing
1071 updates to be received automatically for the platform and its content
1072 Actors (also referred to as flex, Endpoint, and Network Actors) - The components that safely
1073 perform tests in production environments. Specifically, use these to verify the configuration and
1074 test the effectiveness of network security controls; Windows, Mac, and Linux endpoint controls;
1075 and email controls.
1076 Cloud controls
1077 Policy compliance
1078 The Director is the component that receives the information from the systems in the environment based
1079 on an integration with a SIEM and/or directly with the security appliance itself. Tests are run between
1080 Actors and not directly on systems in the environment.
1107 add and assign mobile apps to user groups and devices, including users in specific groups,
1108 devices in specific groups, and more;
1109 configure apps to start or run with specific settings enabled and update existing apps already on
1110 the device;
1111 see reports on which apps are used and track their usage; and
1112 do a selective wipe by removing only organization data from apps.
1125 monitor users, entity behavior, and activities with learning-based analytics;
1126 protect user identities and credentials stored in AD;
1127 identify and investigate suspicious user activities and advanced attacks throughout the kill chain;
1128 and
1129 provide clear incident information on a simple timeline for fast triage.
1139 The signals generated by and fed to Identity Protection can be further fed into tools like Conditional
1140 Access to make access decisions, or fed back to a SIEM tool for further investigation based on an
1141 organization’s enforced policies.
1156 3.4.13.12 Microsoft 365 for Enterprise and Azure Virtual Desktop
1157 Microsoft 365 for Enterprise is a complete, intelligent solution that empowers users to be creative and
1158 work together securely. Microsoft 365 for Enterprise is designed for large organizations, but it can also
1159 be used for medium-sized and small businesses that need the most advanced security and productivity
1160 capabilities.
1161 Azure Virtual Desktop is a desktop and app virtualization service that runs on the cloud.
1162 For this project, Microsoft 365 for Enterprise and Azure Virtual Desktop can both be used to show how
1163 to secure virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).
1199 The Okta Identity Cloud provides secure user storage, authentication capabilities (primary and MFA) to
1200 applications and resources (infrastructure, APIs) regardless of location (on-premises, cloud, or hybrid),
1201 as well as automation and orchestration capabilities for identity use cases, such as for automating user
1202 on- and off-boarding or for identifying and acting on inactive user accounts. Products used in this project
1203 include the following.
1239 In addition, the Okta Integration Network also serves as a rich ecosystem to support risk signal sharing
1240 for zero trust security. Okta’s deep integration with partners in the zero trust ecosystem allows the Okta
1241 Identity Cloud to take in risk signals for the purpose of making smarter, contextual decisions regarding
1242 access. For example, integrations with EMM or EDR solutions allow the Okta IDaaS platform to know the
1243 managed state of a device or device risk posture and make decisions regarding access accordingly. Okta
1244 can also pass risk signals to third parties such as inline network solutions, which can in turn leverage
1245 Okta’s risk assessment to limit actions within SaaS apps when risk is high (e.g., read-only). Okta’s risk-
1246 based approach to access allows for fine-grained control of user friction and provides organizations with
1255 Their core capabilities include the ability to inspect all traffic, including all applications, threats, and
1256 content, and tie that traffic to the user, regardless of location or device type. The user, application, and
1257 content—the elements that run your business—become integral components of your enterprise’s zero
1258 trust security policy.
1259 Towards that end, their Next Generation Firewall (including all hardware-based, VM, and containerized
1260 form factors) and Prisma Access have consistent core capabilities fundamental for zero trust policy
1261 enforcement—including User-ID, App-ID, and Device-ID.
1262 User-ID™ technology enables organizations to identify users in all locations, no matter their
1263 device type or OS. Visibility into application activity—based on users and groups, instead of IP
1264 addresses—safely enables applications by aligning usage with business requirements.
1265 App-ID™ technology enables organizations to accurately identify applications in all traffic
1266 passing through the network, including applications disguised as authorized traffic, using
1267 dynamic ports, or trying to hide under the veil of encryption. App-ID allows organizations to
1268 understand and control applications and their functions, such as video streaming versus chat,
1269 upload versus download, and screen-sharing versus remote device control.
1270 Device-ID™ technology enables organizations to enforce policy rules based on a device,
1271 regardless of changes to its IP address or location. By providing traceability for devices and
1272 associating network events with specific devices, Device-ID allows organizations to gain context
1273 for how events relate to devices and write policies that are associated with devices, instead of
1274 users, locations, or IP addresses, which can change over time.
1275 All NGFW form factors and Prisma Access also include the following cloud-delivered security service
1276 (CDSS) capabilities: Advanced Threat Prevention (ATP), Wildfire (WF) malware analysis, Advanced URL
1277 Filtering (AURL), and DNS Security (DNS). These capabilities are supported by the GlobalProtect (GP)
1278 remote access solution and can all be centrally managed by Panorama.
1287 Additional NGFWs, including cloud-delivered, software-based VMs (VM-Series), and container-based
1288 (CN-Series), are anticipated to be used as part of the micro-segmentation deployment model phase of
1289 this project, deployed as policy enforcement points deeper within each enterprise environment.
1290 Regardless of form factor, any NGFW or Prisma Access instance can serve as a PEP, enabled by the core
1291 (User-ID, Application-ID, Device-ID) technologies described above—helping organizations achieve
1292 common zero trust use cases such as data center segmentation, user or application-based
1293 segmentation, or cloud transformation.
1302 Prisma Access combines least-privileged access with deep and ongoing security inspection as well as
1303 enterprise DLP to protect all users, devices, apps, and data. Prisma Access fully inspects all application
1304 traffic bidirectionally—including TLS-encrypted traffic—on all ports, whether communicating with the
1305 internet, the cloud, the data center, or between branches. Additionally, Prisma Access provides more
1306 security coverage consolidating multiple point products into a single converged platform that includes
1307 Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), next-generation CASB, cloud SWG,
1308 VPN, and more—all managed through a single console.
1309 Prisma Access connects users and applications with fine-grained access controls, providing behavior-
1310 based continuous trust verification after users connect to dramatically reduce the attack surface.
1321 Cortex XDR features Identity Analytics, which detects malicious user activities by applying ML and
1322 behavioral analytics to users, machines, and entities. Using an analytics engine to examine logs and data,
1323 Identity Analytics can understand normal behaviors across your environment and create a baseline so
1324 that it can raise alerts when abnormal activity occurs. With this function, suspicious user activity such as
1325 stolen or misused credentials, lateral movement, credential harvesting, exfiltration, and brute-force
1326 attacks can be detected. This ML-derived insight offers critical identity context specific to each bespoke
1327 environment Cortex XDR is deployed into, allowing for higher fidelity alerts to aid organizations in fine
1328 tuning access granted to critical assets—an imperative for ZTA.
1427 As an identity governance platform, SailPoint provides organizations with a foundation that enables a
1428 compliant and secure infrastructure driven by a zero-trust approach with complete visibility of all access,
1429 frictionless automation of processes, and comprehensive integration across hybrid environments.
1430 SailPoint connects to enterprise resources to aggregate accounts and correlate with authoritative
1431 records to build a foundational identity profile from which all enterprise access is based. Users are
1432 granted birthright access based on dynamic attribute evaluation, and additional access for all integrated
1433 resources is requested and governed through a centralized SailPoint request portal. The SailPoint
1434 governance platform is enriched through its extensible API framework to support integrations with
1435 other identity security tools. The IdentityIQ platform contains two components, IdentityIQ Compliance
1436 Manager and IdentityIQ Lifecycle Manager.
1440 Access certification ensures least-privileged access by continuously monitoring and removing accounts
1441 and entitlements that are no longer needed.
1442 Separation of duties policies enforce business procedures to detect and prevent inappropriate access or
1443 actions by proactively scanning for violations.
1444 Audit reporting simplifies the collection the information needed to manage the compliance process and
1445 replaces manual searches for data located in various systems around the enterprise through an
1446 integrated platform.
1450 Access requests enable users to request and receive access to enterprise on-premises and SaaS
1451 applications and data while ensuring compliance through policy enforcement and elevating reviews for
1452 privileged access.
1453 Automated provisioning detects and triggers changes to a user’s access based on a user joining, moving
1454 within, or leaving an organization. Direct provisioning reduces risk by automatically changing or
1455 removing accounts and access in an appropriate manner with automated role and attribute-based
1456 access.
1498 Trellix offers a comprehensive portfolio of tools that align with zero trust objectives and outcomes. The
1499 following subsections discuss the tools from the portfolio currently being included in this NCCoE effort.
1546 The MVISION Complete Suite aids in the ability to meet zero trust objectives by delivering device-level
1547 protection and alerting, application protection through contextual access controls, user trust through
1548 user activity monitoring, data security through comprehensive data protection and discovery, and
1549 analytics and intelligence through EDR and Insights.
1566 Trellix delivers this capability through Helix. Helix is a cloud-hosted, intelligence-driven platform that
1567 collects data from over 600 different sensors and point solutions, analyzes the data against known
1568 threats, behaviors, and campaigns using AI and enhanced detection rules, and powers automated and
1569 manual responses across Trellix native and third-party policy engines. For more information on Trellix
1570 XDR, see Trellix-Platform | Trellix.
1579 CI/CD integration to ensure proper service configuration, and continuous posture assessments
1580 to guard against configuration drift
1581 IAM policy inspection
1582 intelligent network micro-segmentation
1583 intra-cloud and cloud-to-cloud network monitoring
1584 multi-cloud support
1585 For more information on CloudVisory, see ds-cloudvisory.pdf (fireeye.com).
1597 Zimperium’s MTD provides on-device behavior detection via an on-device agent, even when the device
1598 is not connected to a network. Zimperium’s MTD begins protecting devices against all primary attack
1599 vectors immediately after deployment. The Zimperium zConsole provides a management interface used
1600 to configure threat policies, manage device groups/users, and view events and the forensics that are
1601 associated with those events.
1602 Zimperium provides critical mobile security data for organizations, with integrations into multiple,
1603 concurrent enterprise SIEM/SOAR, UEM, XDR, and IAM platforms. Data is securely shared via REST API,
1604 syslog, etc. Zimperium MTD provides comprehensive device attestation enabling a complete picture of
1605 mobile endpoint security and increased visibility into risks such as jailbreak detections. Zimperium MTD
1606 provides continuous protection for mobile devices, providing the risk intelligence and forensic data
1607 necessary for security administrators to raise their mobile security confidence. Zimperium integrates
1608 mobile threat data into security reporting systems and processes. Using Zimperium’s vast integrations
1609 ecosystem, mobile device state, security posture, events, etc. are shared, enabling multimodal
1610 protections to be automatically deployed, including “conditional access” to sensitive information via
1611 MDM/UEMs, SOAR, and IAM, for example. Zimperium MTD protects devices against all primary attack
1612 vectors, including via USB, removable storage, and even when the device is not connected to a network.
1618 Zscaler’s role in the ZTA is to provide full visibility and control of context-based, least-privilege access to
1619 internet and SaaS applications as well as private applications in IaaS, PaaS, or internally-hosted
1620 environments via the Zero Trust Exchange.
1628 The Zscaler Client Connector brokers access for both ZIA and ZPA, offering lightweight single-agent
1629 protection and visibility, as well as optionally gathering telemetry for end-user experience monitoring.
1630 Combining ZIA and ZPA provides a FedRAMP-accredited solution that organizations can integrate into
1631 their unique digital ecosystems today. Moreover, since Zscaler is an integral part of any zero trust
1632 framework, organizations can leverage Zscaler's cloud service provider, EDR, SIEM/SOAR, and SD-WAN
1633 integration partnerships with Microsoft, AWS, Okta, CrowdStrike, and other industry leaders to promote
1634 data visibility and access management.
1646 Volume B will be updated throughout the project lifecycle as the architecture evolves to include
1647 additional functionalities, security capabilities, and ZTA deployment models.
1659 Subjects (devices, end users, applications, servers, and other non-human entities that request
1660 information from resources) request and receive access to enterprise resources via the ZTA. Human
1661 subjects (i.e., users) are authenticated. Non-human subjects are both authenticated and protected by
1662 endpoint security. Enterprise resources may be located on-premises or in the cloud. Existing enterprise
1663 subjects and resources are not part of the reference architecture itself; however, any changes required
1664 to existing endpoints, such as installing ZTA agents, should be considered part of the reference
1665 architecture.
Policy Information
Points (PIPs)
Policy Decision
Supporting Components
Point (PDP) I(3). Information needed to
approve/deny access request
Policy Engine(s) (PEs) ICAM
I(N): Initial Connection
S(X): Session Management Policy Administrator(s)
S(B)/R(B). Information needed
to continually evaluate access
R(X): Resource Management (PAs) EDR/EPP
I(4). S(A)/R(A).
Allow/ S(C). Continue/revoke/limit
Access session access
deny requests; info Security Analytics
I(2). Info needed access needed to
to verify subject R(C). Revoke/limit resource
periodically access
and its endpoint verify subject, Data Security
resource, and
endpoints
Control Plane
Data Plane
I(1). Initial access request Resource
R(1). Authenticate and validate resource
(identity and credentials) Policy Enforcement
Cloud On-Prem
Subject
Point(s) (PEPs)
I(5). Session
User
Endpoint S(D). Periodic reauthentication R(D). Periodic resource reauthentication
challenge/response and endpoint challenge/response and endpoint hygiene
hygiene verification verification
1669 Policy Engine (PE): The PE handles the ultimate decision to grant, deny, or revoke access to a
1670 resource for a given subject. The PE calculates the trust scores/confidence levels and ultimate
1671 access decisions based on enterprise policy and information from supporting components. The
1672 PE executes its trust algorithm to evaluate each resource request it receives.
1673 Policy Administrator (PA): The PA executes the PE’s policy decision by sending commands to the
1674 PEP to establish and terminate the communications path between the subject and the resource.
1675 It generates any session-specific authentication and authorization token or credential used by
1676 the subject to access the enterprise resource.
1677 Policy Enforcement Point (PEP): The PEP guards the trust zone that hosts one or more
1678 enterprise resources. It handles enabling, monitoring, and eventually terminating connections
1679 between subjects and enterprise resources. It operates based on commands that it receives
1680 from the PA.
1681 When combined, the functions of the PE and PA comprise a PDP. The PDP is where the decision as to
1682 whether or not to permit a subject to access a resource is made. The PIPs provide various types of
1685 Three approaches for how an enterprise can enact a ZTA for workflows can be supported by the
1686 architecture represented in Figure 4-1: use of EIG, micro-segmentation, and SDP. If the micro-
1687 segmentation approach is used, then when the PEP grants a subject access to a resource, it permits the
1688 subject to gain access to the unique network segment on which the resource resides. If the SDP
1689 approach is used, then when the PE decides to grant a subject access to a resource, the PA often acts
1690 like a network controller by setting up a secure channel between the subject and the resource via the
1691 PEP.
1695 The ZTA supporting components and policy information points are:
1696 ICAM: The ICAM component includes the strategy, technology, and governance for creating,
1697 storing, and managing subject (e.g., enterprise user) accounts and identity records and their
1698 access to enterprise resources. Aspects of ICAM include:
1699 o Identity management – Creation and management of enterprise user and device
1700 accounts, identity records, role information, and access attributes that form the basis of
1701 access decisions within an organization to ensure the correct subjects have the
1702 appropriate access to the correct resources at the appropriate time
1703 o Access and credential management – Use of authentication (e.g., SSO and MFA) and
1704 authorization to manage access to resources
1705 o Federated Identity – The federated identity component aggregates and correlates all
1706 attributes relating to an identity or object that is being authorized by a ZTA. It enables
1707 users of one domain to securely access data or systems of another domain seamlessly,
1708 and without the need for completely redundant user administration. Federated identity
1709 encompasses the traditional ICAM data, supports identities that may be part of a larger
1710 federated ICAM community, and may include non-enterprise employees. Guidelines for
1711 the use of federated identity are discussed in NIST SP 800-63C, Digital Identity
1712 Guidelines [11].
1713 o Identity governance – Use of policy-based centralized automated processes to manage
1714 user identity and access control functions (e.g., segregation of duties, role management,
1715 logging, access reviews, auditing, analytics, reporting) to ensure compliance with
1716 requirements and regulations
1717 EDR/EPP: The endpoint protection component encompasses the strategy, technology, and
1718 governance to protect endpoints (e.g., servers, desktops, mobile phones, IoT devices and other
1802 Resource Management—R() – Resource management steps ensure that the resource is
1803 authenticated and that its endpoint conforms to enterprise policy. Upon first being brought
1804 online, a resource’s identity is authenticated and its endpoint hygiene is verified. The resource is
1805 then connected to the PEP. Once connected to the PEP, access to the resource is granted only
1806 through that PEP at the discretion of the PDP. For as long as the resource continues to be online,
1807 resource management steps are performed to periodically reauthenticate the resource and
1808 verify its endpoint hygiene. These steps are labeled R(1) and R(A) through R(D). Step R(1) occurs
1809 first, but the other steps do not necessarily occur in any specific order with respect to each
1810 other, which is why they are labeled with letters instead of numbers. Their invocation is
1811 determined by enterprise policy. For example, enterprise policy determines how frequently the
1812 resource is reauthenticated, what resource-related information the PDP needs to evaluate each
1813 access request and when it needs it, and what resource-related changes (environmental,
1814 security analytics, etc.) would cause the PDP to decide to revoke or limit access to a particular
1815 resource.
1816 Session Establishment Steps—I() – Session establishment steps are a sequence of actions that
1817 culminate in the establishment of the initial session between a subject and the resource to
1818 which it has requested access. These steps are labeled I(1) through I(5) and they occur in
1819 sequential order.
1820 Session Management Steps—S() – Session management steps describe the actions that enable
1821 the PDP to continually evaluate the session once it has been established. These steps begin to
1822 be performed after the session has been established, i.e., after Step I(5), and they continue to
1823 be invoked periodically for as long as the session remains active. These steps are labeled S(A)
1824 through S(D) so that they can be distinguished from each other. However, the letters A through
1825 D in the labels are not meant to imply an ordering. The session management steps do not
1826 necessarily occur in any specific order with respect to each other. Their invocation is determined
1827 by the access requests that are made by the subject in combination with enterprise policy. For
1835 Step R(1). Authenticate and validate resource: In our model, it is assumed that the resource has
1836 already been registered as an authorized resource. Initially, when the resource is brought online,
1837 its identity must be authenticated and its endpoint hygiene must be validated to ensure
1838 compliance. This authentication and validation could be accomplished by a variety of
1839 mechanisms, such as the ICAM and EPP capabilities, the PEP itself, or a connector. The diagram
1840 is not concerned with depicting how it is authenticated, just that the authentication and
1841 validation are performed.
1842 In some implementations, in order for the resource to communicate with the service provider
1843 where the PEP is located, a connector or proxy may need to be installed to enable that
1844 connection to the service provider. For example, a database in an existing enterprise may not
1845 currently have the capability to interact with a service provider PEP directly. To make this
1846 communication possible, a connector, which behaves like a proxy module, may be installed
1847 between the resource and the PEP. There are multiple possible types of connectors and ways of
1848 connecting. This level of detail (i.e., whether a connector is present and, if so, what type) is not
1849 shown in the figure. Authentication and validation of the resource and connection of the
1850 resource to the PEP must be completed prior to any users requesting access.
1851 Step R(A). Information needed to periodically verify resource and endpoint: Throughout the
1852 lifetime of the session, the PEP will periodically challenge the resource to reauthenticate itself.
1853 After doing so, the PEP will provide the PDP with the identity and credentials that the resource
1854 provided. Similarly, throughout the lifetime of the session, the PEP will request hygiene
1855 information from the resource’s endpoint. After obtaining this hygiene information, the PEP will
1856 provide it to the PDP. The frequency with which the resource should be issued authentication
1857 challenges is determined by enterprise policy, as is the frequency with which the hygiene of its
1858 endpoint should be validated.
1859 Step R(B). Information needed to continually evaluate access: Throughout the course of the
1860 access session, the PDP requests and receives any resource-related information that it needs to
1861 evaluate the resource’s ongoing compliance with enterprise policy. This could include
1862 information such as authentication information provided by the ICAM system, endpoint hygiene
1863 information provided by the EPP, and anomaly detection analysis regarding resource behavior
1864 provided by logging and security analytics functionality.
1875 Step I(1). Initial access request (identity and credentials): The subject interacts with the PEP to
1876 request access to the resource and provide its identity and credentials.
1877 Step I(2). Information needed to verify subject and its endpoint: The PEP forwards the subject’s
1878 identity and credentials to the PE within the PDP.
1879 Step I(3). Information needed to approve/deny access request: The PE requests and receives
1880 any additional information that it needs to determine whether it should approve or deny the
1881 subject’s access request. This includes information provided by the various supporting
1882 components of the ZTA. ICAM-related information is used most heavily, i.e., user and endpoint
1883 identity, authorization, federation, and identity governance information; but additional
1884 information from other ZTA supporting components, e.g., endpoint compliance, endpoint
1885 monitoring, and threat intelligence, may also be relied upon as specified by enterprise policy.
1886 The PIPs depicted in Figure 4-1 represent the collection of information required by the PE to
1887 decide, in accordance with enterprise policy, whether or not to grant the access request. The PE
1888 authenticates the subject, determines what the subject’s authorizations are, and evaluates
1889 additional information as needed to determine whether to allow or deny the subject access to
1890 the requested resource.
1891 Step I(4). Allow/deny access: The PDP informs the PEP whether to allow or deny the subject
1892 access to the resource.
1893 Step I(5). Session: Assuming the PDP has decided to allow access, the PEP establishes a session
1894 between the subject and the resource through which the subject can access the resource. At the
1895 completion of Step I(5), the session is set up and the session management processes begin being
1896 performed.
1897 Session Management
1898 Once the session has been established, several session management processes are performed
1899 simultaneously on an ongoing basis for the duration of the session. The session management processes
1900 depicted in Figure 4-1 include ongoing evaluation of each of the subject’s access requests, ongoing
1901 continual evaluation of the session, periodic reauthentication of the subject, and periodic verification of
1902 the subject’s endpoint hygiene. These processes are described below.
1905 Step S(A). Access requests: Throughout the course of the access session, the actions that the
1906 subject sends to the resource are monitored by the PEP and sent to the PDP for evaluation as to
1907 whether the access should continue. When TLS or another form of encryption is used to secure
1908 the session between the subject and the resource, it is not possible for a PEP that is situated in
1909 the middle of that connection to have visibility into the messages that the subject is sending
1910 because they are encrypted. The PEP must have access to the unencrypted session traffic in
1911 order to be able to properly monitor it. To enable the access session to be continuously
1912 monitored, the PEP could be situated adjacent to the subject so it can receive unencrypted
1913 requests from the subject and send them to the PDP for monitoring before forwarding them
1914 over the encrypted access session to the resource; the PEP could be situated adjacent to the
1915 resource so it can decrypt requests it receives from the subject on the access session and send
1916 them to the PDP for monitoring before forwarding them to the resource; or the PEP could be
1917 located elsewhere and have plaintext requests forwarded to it that it would then send to the
1918 PDP for monitoring. Because there are many possible ways the monitoring could be
1919 accomplished, Figure 4-1 does not attempt to depict where the access session is terminated
1920 with respect to the PEP. It is only meant to convey the fact that the subject’s access requests are
1921 monitored on an ongoing basis and forwarded to the PDP for evaluation.
1922 Step S(B). Information needed to continually evaluate access: Throughout the course of the
1923 access session, the PDP requests and receives any additional information from the PIP that it
1924 needs to evaluate the subject’s ongoing access to determine whether it should continue. This
1925 information is provided by the various ZTA supporting components in the architecture.
1926 Examples of such information include subject identity information provided by ICAM
1927 functionality, subject endpoint hygiene information provided by endpoint security functionality,
1928 and behavioral analysis and anomaly detection information provided by logging and security
1929 analytics functionality. Evaluation of the access requests is performed in accordance with
1930 enterprise policy.
1931 Step S(C). Continue/revoke/limit session access: If the PDP determines that the access should
1932 continue, it will allow the PEP to forward the access request made in step S(A) to the resource.
1933 However, if the PDP determines that, in light of the information received from the PIP (e.g.,
1934 federated identity, endpoint security information, security analytics), the session should be
1935 terminated or limited, the PDP may inform the PEP not to forward the action to the resource.
1936 Note that in an ideal world, the PEP would wait for the PDP to pass judgement on every request
1937 that is made on a session before forwarding each request to the resource. However, in reality,
1938 the cost of having the PDP evaluate every individual request in real time is too great. In most
1939 cases the PEP would have a set of rules determining allowed requests and (possibly) a set of
1940 policies on when to require reauthentication or additional checks before forwarding requests to
1941 the resource.
1944 Step S(B). Information needed to continually evaluate access: Throughout the course of the
1945 access session, the information in the PIPs is updated by the various ZTA supporting
1946 components and made available to the PDP so it can dynamically evaluate whether the session
1947 continues to be in accordance with enterprise policy. At any moment, information could
1948 become available that causes the session to be non-compliant. For example, threat intelligence
1949 information could be received regarding vulnerabilities in the endpoint or software used by the
1950 subject, anomalies could be detected in the subject’s behavior, or the subject could fail
1951 authentication when trying to access a different resource.
1952 Step S(C). Continue/revoke/limit session access: If the PDP determines that the ongoing access
1953 session continues to be compliant, it will permit it to continue. However, if the PDP determines
1954 that, based on information available from the PIPs (e.g., endpoint security information, threat
1955 intelligence, security analytics), the access session should be limited or revoked, the PDP will
1956 direct the PEP to deny some requests that are made on the session or to disconnect the session
1957 altogether.
1958 Periodic reauthentication of the subject and periodic verification of the hygiene of the subject
1959 endpoint: These are two separate and distinct processes, but they are depicted by the same steps in
1960 Figure 4-1, steps S(A), S(D), and S(C), so we will discuss them together:
1961 Step S(A). Information needed to periodically verify subject and endpoint: Throughout the
1962 lifetime of the session, the PDP will periodically notify the PEP to challenge the subject to
1963 reauthenticate itself. After doing so, the PEP will provide the PDP with the identity and
1964 credentials that the subject provided. Similarly, throughout the lifetime of the session, the PDP
1965 will periodically notify the PEP to request hygiene information from the subject’s endpoint,
1966 operating environment, etc. After obtaining this hygiene information, the PEP will provide it to
1967 the PDP. The frequency with which the subject should be issued authentication challenges is
1968 determined by enterprise policy, as is the frequency with which the hygiene of the subject
1969 endpoint should be validated.
1970 Step S(D). Periodic reauthentication challenge/response and endpoint hygiene verification: As
1971 directed by the PDP in step S(A), the PEP periodically issues reauthentication challenges to the
1972 subject. It also periodically requests and receives endpoint hygiene (software, configuration,
1973 etc.) information. The frequency with which each of these types of information is requested is
1974 specified by enterprise policy.
1975 Step S(C). Continue/revoke/limit session access: Based on the subject identity and credential
1976 information received and/or on the endpoint hygiene information received, the PDP determines
1977 whether to permit the access session to continue. If at any time the reauthentication of the
1978 subject fails or if the subject’s endpoint hygiene cannot be satisfactorily verified (as determined
1979 by policy), the PDP will direct the PEP to disconnect or limit the session.
1988 Once the EIG approach has been built, additional supporting components and features related to the
1989 micro-segmentation and SDP deployment approaches will be added to create a series of subsequent
1990 builds that support an increasingly rich set of additional ZTA capabilities, ultimately culminating in the
1991 demonstration of a full collection of EIG, micro-segmentation, and SDP-based ZTA functionality.
1992 This practice guide documents the first set of builds, which were created in the project’s EIG crawl
1993 phase. The crawl phase uses what we call an EIG crawl phase deployment approach. Figure 4-2 depicts
1994 the reference architecture for this approach. The EIG crawl phase reference architecture, as its name
1995 suggests, uses a subject’s identity and its access privileges as the main determinants for granting
1996 resource access, along with the endpoint used and its hygiene status. Hence, as can be seen in Figure
1997 4-2, the reference architecture for this EIG crawl phase build includes ICAM and endpoint protection
1998 components. In the area of ICAM, it supports capabilities in all the four main areas of identity
1999 management, access and credential management, federated identity, and identity governance.
2000 The labeled steps in Figure 4-2 are the same as those in Figure 4-1. The main difference between the
2001 two figures can be found in the set of supporting components that have been included. The EIG crawl
2002 phase reference architecture depicted in Figure 4-2 is a constrained form of the general ZTA reference
2003 architecture in Figure 4-1. The EIG crawl phase reference architecture relies on the PE and PA
2004 capabilities provided by its ICAM components and does not include any additional PE or PA components.
2005 Also, the only security analytics functionality that it includes is a SIEM. It does not include any additional
2006 data security or security analytics functionality. These limitations were intentionally placed on the
2007 architecture with the goal of demonstrating the ZTA functionality that an enterprise with legacy ICAM
2008 and endpoint protection solutions deployed will be able to support without having to add ZTA-specific
2009 capabilities.
Cloud On-Prem
Subject ICAM System’s PEPs
I(5). Session
Other PEPs
User
Endpoint S(D). Periodic reauthentication R(D). Periodic resource reauthentication
challenge/response and endpoint challenge/response and endpoint hygiene
hygiene verification verification
2011
2016 EIG Enterprise 1 Build 1 (E1B1) uses products from Amazon Web Services, IBM, Ivanti,
2017 Mandiant, Okta, Radiant Logic, SailPoint, Tenable, and Zimperium. Certificates from DigiCert are
2018 also used.
2019 EIG Enterprise 3 Build 1 (E3B1) uses products from F5, Forescout, Lookout, Mandiant, Microsoft,
2020 Palo Alto Networks, PC Matic, and Tenable. Certificates from DigiCert are also used.
2021 Each of these builds is described in detail in its own appendix below (see Appendix D and Appendix F).
2030 Access to and from the ZTA lab from within ITOPS is protected by a Palo Alto Networks Next Generation
2031 Firewall (PA-5250). The ZTA lab network infrastructure includes four independent enterprises
2032 (Enterprises 1, 2, 3, and 4), a branch office used only by Enterprise 1, a coffee shop that all enterprises
2033 can use, a management and orchestration domain, and an emulated WAN/internet service provider. The
2034 emulated WAN service provider provides connectivity among all the ZTA laboratory networks, i.e.,
2035 among all the enterprises, the coffee shop, the branch office, and the management and orchestration
2036 domain. Another Palo Alto Networks PA-5250 firewall that is split into separate virtual systems protects
2037 the network perimeters of each of the enterprises and the branch office. The emulated WAN service
2038 provider also connects the ZTA laboratory network to ITOPS. The ZTA laboratory network has access to
2039 cloud services provided by AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as connectivity to SaaS services
2040 provided by various collaborators, all of which are available via the internet.
2041 Each enterprise within the NCCoE laboratory environment is protected by a firewall and has both IPv4
2042 and IPv6 (dual stack) configured. Each of the enterprises is equipped with a baseline architecture that is
2043 intended to represent the typical environment of an enterprise before a ZT deployment model is
2044 instantiated.
Printer
Smartphone
Windows
Infrastructure as Code Client
Automation & Orchestration
10.151.18.0/24
Ansible Terraform
ASUS
(Lookout MES, Microsoft Azure AD,
Instant Wireless
Power
Di ag
Act
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54g 802.11a
Act
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2.4 GHz 5 GHz
54g 802.11a
AP RC-AC66U
Microsoft Endpoint Manager, Microsoft
Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Sentinel,
Google Cloud C3650-48
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Instant Wireless
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Hz
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Dual-Band Wire le ss A+G
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10.130.11.18/30 10.130.11.14/30
10.32.50.122/28
10.130.11.9/30
10.130.11.2/30 10.130.11.10/30
C9300-48
CA DHCP Active DNS Radius C9300-48
Ivanti (2 Tier) (H A) Directory (H A) F5 BIG-IP
Sentry (H A)
VM-DMZ VM-DMZ
VLAN 3 = 1513 VLAN 3 = 1525
IBM Tenable 10.130.10.0/24
SMB
QRadar Scanner
Tenable .ad
AP
10.176.35.0/2
Tenable .ad
Controller
Ivanti
Shared Services
Connector Tenable VLAN 2 = 1524
Forescout Sentinel
F5 BIG-IP Scanner
Log Forwarder IP=10.176.34.0/24
GitLab1 GitLab2
F5 BIG-IP
Tablet Tablet
Printer Windows LI NUX macOS Smartphone Windows LI NUX macOS
Smartphone Client Client Client Windows Client Client Client
Windows Client
Client
Enterprise 1 Enterprise 3
Domain: Lab.nccoe.org Domain: Ent3.nccoe.org
10.176.32.0/20
10.130.0.0/20, 10.131.0.0/20, 10.151.0.0/20
Legend
= MSV Actor
Servers Radiant
CloudPak Components SailPoint Okta AG
ICAM Components Logic
VM-DMZ
VLAN 3 = 1513
AP IBM Tenable 10.130.10.0/24
WSUS SFTP SMB Tenable .ad
Controller QRadar Scanner
Shared Services
VLAN 2 = 1512
Ivanti MSV
10.131.2.0/24
Connector Director
GitLab1 GitLab2
Internal Corporate
TBD
VLAN 6 = 1521
10.131.3.0/24
ZTA Components
Cisco
Cisco AP1832I
AP1852I
Tablet
Printer Windows LI NUX macOS
Smartphone Client Client Client
Windows
Client
Enterprise 1
Domain: Lab.nccoe.org
10.130.0.0/20, 10.131.0.0/20, 10.151.0.0/20
AP IBM Tenable
WSUS SFTP SMB Tenable .ad
Controller QRadar Scanner
Shared Services
VLAN 2 = 1512
Ivanti MSV
10.131.2.0/24
Connector Director
Enterprise 1
Branch Office
10.151.16.0/20
Printer
Smartphone
Windows
Client
10.151.18.0/24
Instant Wireless
TM
Dual-Band 24
GHz
54 g
ASUS
AP RC-AC66U
2.4 GHz 5 GHz
54g 802.11a Link/Act
Series
Instant Wireless
Power Act Act Ful/Col 54g 802.11a
Dual-Band Wireless A+G
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Instant Wireless
WLAN WLAN LA N Model WAP55AG
C3650-48
Internet
(Coffee Shop)
Dual-Band G 24
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54 g 5 G Hz
80 2.11a
Instant Wireless
TM
Instant Wireless
WLAN WLAN LA N Model WAP55AG
Infrastructure as Code
Automation & Orchestration
Ansible Terraform
MSV
MSV
Protected
Director
Theater
VLAN 1527
10.131.11.128/25
Enterprise 1
Region us-east1
VPN Connection
(over Internet)
VLAN 3 = 1513
2.4 GHz 5 GHz
54g 802.11a Link/Act
Series
Instant Wireless
Power Act Act Ful/Col 54g 802.11a
Dual-Band Wire le ss A+G
Di ag Link Link 100 Acce ss Point
Instant Wireless
WLAN WLAN LA N Model WAP55AG
AP
Controller WSUS SFTP SMB IBM Tenable Tenable 10.130.10.0/24
QRadar Scanner .ad NCCoE
Shared Services TGW
VLAN 2 = 1512
Ivanti
Connector
10.131.2.0/24
GitLab1 GitLab2 Smartphone Printer Windows
Client
Ent 1 CloudWatch
Internal Corporate TGW
TBD VLAN 6 = 1521 10.151.18.0/24
10.131.3.0/24
ZTA Components
Auto Scaling
Internet
2230
2234 The management VPC also has a public subnetwork and three private subnetworks in each availability
2235 zone. The public subnetwork is used to support software updates and to enable administrators and
2236 other authorized internal staff who are located remotely to SSH into cloud components. The private
2237 subnetworks include a satellite tier, domain controller tier, and security management tier.
2238 Each VPC uses two availability zones for redundancy and high availability. Each availability zone uses
2239 automatic scaling as needed.
2248 For Enterprise 1, there are no SaaS-based resources. However, Ivanti Access ZSO, Ivanti Neurons for
2249 UEM, Lookout MES, Okta Identity Cloud, and Tenable.io are SaaS-based ZTA products.
2250 For Enterprise 3, Microsoft Office 365 is the resource used to demonstrate SaaS capabilities. Microsoft
2251 Azure AD, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Endpoint Manager, Microsoft Sentinel, and
2252 Tenable.io are SaaS-based ZTA products.
2281 Second, we use out-of-the-box integrations offered by the solution providers rather than perform
2282 custom integrations. These two patterns combined do not support all the desired ZT capabilities.
2283 Both builds E1B1 and E3B1 were capable of authenticating and reauthenticating requesting users and
2284 requesting endpoints, and of verifying and periodically reverifying the health of requesting endpoints,
2285 and both builds were able to base their access decisions on the results of these actions. Access requests
2286 were not granted unless the identities of the requesting user and the requesting endpoint could be
2287 authenticated and the health of the requesting endpoint could be validated; however, no check was
2288 performed to authenticate the identity or verify the health of the endpoint hosting the resource.
2289 Access sessions that are in progress in both builds are periodically reevaluated by reauthenticating the
2290 identities of the requesting user and the requesting endpoint and by verifying the health of the
2291 requesting endpoint. If these periodic reauthentications and verifications cannot be performed
2292 successfully, the access session will eventually be terminated; however, neither the identity nor the
2295 Neither build E1B1 nor build E3B1 was able to support resource management as envisioned in the ZTA
2296 logical architecture depicted in Figure 4-1. These builds do not include any ZTA technologies that
2297 perform authentication and reauthentication of resources that host endpoints, nor are these builds
2298 capable of verifying or periodically reverifying the health of the endpoints that host resources. In
2299 addition, when using both builds E1B1 and E3B1, devices (requesting endpoints and endpoints hosting
2300 resources) were initially joined to the network manually. Neither of the two EIG crawl phase builds
2301 include any technologies that provide network-level enforcement of an endpoint’s ability to access the
2302 network. That is, there is no tool in either build that can keep any endpoint (either one that is hosting a
2303 resource or one that is used by a user) from initially joining the network based on its authentication
2304 status.
2308 The next phase of this project will be the EIG run phase. In that phase, the project scope will expand to
2309 include resources located in the cloud (e.g., IaaS and SaaS). It will also include device discovery to
2310 baseline the environment initially and assist with continuous detection and alerting of new devices
2311 introduced into the environment. Unauthorized devices and devices that are not compliant with
2312 enterprise policy will be denied access to resources. The EIG run phase will include support for a secure
2313 tunnel between the requesting endpoint and the target application driven by policy and enforced via a
2314 PEP.
2315 Once the EIG run phase of the project is complete, the project will focus on the micro-segmentation and
2316 SDP deployment models. Efforts will be organized into crawl, walk, and run phases that augment the EIG
2317 capabilities to support an increasingly rich set of functionalities and additional ZTA capabilities.
2324 [2] Executive Order no. 14028, Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity, Federal Register Vol. 86,
2325 No.93, May 17, 2021. Available: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/05/17/2021-
2326 10460/improving-the-nations-cybersecurity.
2327 [3] “National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) Zero Trust Cybersecurity: Implementing a
2328 Zero Trust Architecture,” Federal Register Vol. 85, No. 204, October 21, 2020, pp. 66936-66939.
2329 Available: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/10/21/2020-23292/national-
2330 cybersecurity-center-of-excellence-nccoe-zero-trust-cybersecurity-implementing-a-zero-trust.
2338 [11] P. Grassi, J. Richer, S. Squire, J. Fenton, E. Nadeau, N. Lefkovitz, J. Danker, Y. Choong, K. Greene,
2339 and M. Theofanos, Digital Identity Guidelines Federation and Assertions, National Institute of
2340 Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-63C, Gaithersburg, Md., June
2341 2017, 40 pp. Available https://www.nist.gov/identity-access-management/nist-special-
2342 publication-800-63-digital-identity-guidelines.
2349 E1B1 components consist of Okta Identity Cloud, Ivanti Access ZSO, Ivanti Sentry, Radiant Logic
2350 RadiantOne Intelligent Identity Data Platform, SailPoint IdentityIQ, Okta Verify App, Ivanti Neurons for
2351 UEM, Zimperium MTD, IBM Security QRadar XDR, Tenable.io, Tenable.ad, IBM Cloud Pak for Security,
2352 Mandiant Advantage Security Validation (MSV), Ivanti Tunnel, DigiCert CertCentral, and AWS IaaS.
2353 Table D-1 lists all of the technologies used in EIG E1B1. It lists the products used to instantiate each ZTA
2354 component and the security function that the component provides.
2373 E1B1 was designed with a single ICAM system (Okta Identity Cloud) that serves as the identity, access,
2374 and credential manager as well as the ZTA PE and PA. It includes the Ivanti Sentry as its PEP, and it also
2375 delegates some PDP responsibilities to Ivanti Access ZSO. Radiant Logic acts as a PIP for the PDP as it
2376 responds to inquiries and provides identity information on demand in order for Okta to make near-real-
2377 time access decisions. A more detailed depiction of the messages that flow among components to
2378 support a user access request can be found in Appendix D.2.4.
Cloud
AWS On-Prem
Subject
Ivanti Sentry I(5). Session
User
Endpoint S(D). Periodic reauthentication
challenge/response and endpoint
hygiene verification
2386 In E1B1, Okta, Radiant Logic, and SailPoint integrate with each other as well as with other components
2387 of the ZTA to support the ICAM information architecture. Okta Identity Cloud uses authentication and
2388 authorization to manage access to enterprise resources. SailPoint governs and RadiantOne aggregates
2389 identity information that is available from many sources within the enterprise. Radiant Logic stores,
2390 normalizes, and correlates this aggregation of information and extended attributes and provides
2391 appropriate views of the information in response to queries. RadiantOne monitors each source of truth
2392 for identity and updates changes in near real-time to ensure that Okta is able to enforce access based on
2393 accurate data. SailPoint is responsible for governance of the identity data. It executes automated, policy-
2394 based workflows to manage the lifecycle of user identity information and manage user accounts and
2400 Use of these three components to support the ICAM information architecture in Enterprise 1 is intended
2401 to demonstrate how a large enterprise with a complex identity environment might operate—for
2402 example, an enterprise with two ADs and multiple sources of identity information, such as HR platforms,
2403 the back-end database of a risk-scoring application, a credential management application, a learning
2404 management application, on-premises LDAP and databases, etc. Mimicking a large, complex enterprise
2405 enables the project to demonstrate the ability to aggregate identity data from many sources and
2406 provide identity managers with a rich set of attributes on which to base access policy. By aggregating
2407 risk-scoring and training data with more standard identity profile information found in AD, rich user
2408 profiles can be created, enabling enterprise managers to formulate and enforce highly granular access
2409 policies. Information from any number of the identity and attribute sources can be used to make
2410 authentication and authorization decisions. In addition, such aggregation allows identities for users in a
2411 partner organization whose identity information is not in the enterprise AD to be made available to the
2412 enterprise identity manager so it has the information required to grant or deny partner user access
2413 requests. Policy-based access enforcement is also possible, in which access groups can be dynamically
2414 generated based on attribute values.
2415 Although federated identity and identity governance technologies provide automation to ease the
2416 burden of aggregating identity information and enforcement of identity governance, they are not
2417 required supporting components for implementing a ZTA in situations in which there may only be one or
2418 a few sources of identity data.
2419 The subsections below explain the operations of the ICAM information architecture for E1B1 when
2420 correlating identity information and when a user joins, changes roles, or leaves the enterprise. The
2421 operations depicted support identity correlation, identity management, identity authentication and
2422 authorization, and SIEM notification. It is worth noting that both Okta and SailPoint also support
2423 additional features that we have not deployed at this time, such as the ability to perform just-in-time
2424 provisioning of user accounts and permissions and the ability to remove access permissions or
2425 temporarily disable access authorizations from user accounts in response to alerts triggered by
2426 suspicious user activity.
2441 3. SailPoint provisions identities into AD. Multiple AD instances may be present in the enterprise,
2442 as depicted. However, each of our builds includes only one AD instance.
2444 5. SailPoint provisions identities into appropriate enterprise resources—e.g., SaaS, IaaS, enterprise
2445 applications, and endpoint protection platforms. (This provisioning may occur directly or via
2446 Okta.)
2447 6. As the new identities appear in the SaaS, IaaS, enterprise application, endpoint protection, and
2448 other components, Radiant Logic is notified. Radiant Logic collects, correlates, and virtualizes
2449 this new identity information and adds it back into the global identity profile that it is maintain-
2450 ing. It also updates its HR, authentication, and authorization views to reflect the recent changes.
2451 Okta will eventually query these authentication and authorization information views in Radiant
2452 Logic to determine whether to grant future user access requests.
2453 7. Because Okta is maintaining its own internal identity directory, which is a mirrored version of
2454 the information in Radiant Logic, Okta consumes identities from Radiant Logic RadiantOne pro-
2455 files. However, Okta does not store user password information.
2457 The identity correlation lifecycle is an ongoing process that occurs continuously as events that affect
2458 user identity information, accounts, and permissions occur, ensuring that the global identity profile is up
2459 to date. Example of such events are depicted in the subsections below.
Lifecycle Automation
Joiner, Mover, Leaver, Okta
Entitlement Request
SaaS
SailPoint
3. SailPoint 7. Okta
5. SAILPOINT provisions IaaS
AuthN/AuthZ
identities into appropriate
provisions consumes
enterprise resources
identities into identities from
endpoints RadiantOne
profiles Enterprise App
AD AD 8. RadiantOne
2. Identity 1 2 correlates Okta Endpoint
Identity Metadata
identities
profiles are 4. RadiantOne Protection
consumed from correlates
RadiantOne by endpoint identity
SailPoint
Radiant
Enhanced Identity Data Sources Logic 6. RadiantOne correlates
additional sources of identity
data
Credential
SAP HR Mgt 1. Existing
sources of
identity are
correlated in
Workday RadiantOne Legend
Risk Scoring Identity Correlation
Identity Management
Identity AuthN/AuthZ
SIEM Notifications
2465 1. When a new user joins the enterprise, an authorized HR staff member is assumed to input infor-
2466 mation into some sort of enterprise employee onboarding and management HR application that
2467 will ultimately result in a new, active HR record for the employee appearing in the Radiant Logic
2468 human resources record view. In practice, the application that the HR staff member uses will
2469 typically store identity records in backend databases like the ones depicted in the lower left-
2470 hand corner of Figure D-3 that are in the box labeled “Enhanced Identity Data Sources.” As these
2471 databases get updated, Radiant Logic is notified, and it responds by collecting the new infor-
2472 mation and using it to dynamically update its HR view.
2473 2. In the course of performing its governance activities, SailPoint detects the new HR record in Ra-
2474 diant Logic. SailPoint evaluates this new HR record, which triggers a Joiner lifecycle event, caus-
2475 ing SailPoint to execute a policy-driven workflow that includes steps 3, 4, and 5.
2476 3. SailPoint provisions access permissions to specific enterprise resources for this new user. These
2477 access permissions, known as the user’s Birthright Role Access, are automatically determined
2478 according to policy based on factors such as the user’s role, type, group memberships, and sta-
2479 tus. These permissions comprise the access entitlements that the employee has on day 1. Sail-
2480 Point creates an account for the new user in AD, thereby provisioning appropriate enterprise
2481 resource access for the new user. Also (not labeled in the diagram), Radiant Logic then collects
2482 and correlates this user information from AD into the global identity profile that it is maintain-
2483 ing.
2484 4. Assuming there are resources for which access is not managed by AD that the new user is au-
2485 thorized to access according to their Birthright Role, SailPoint also provisions access to these re-
2486 sources for the new user by creating new accounts for the user, as appropriate, on SaaS, IaaS,
2487 enterprise application, MDM, EPP, and other components. (This provisioning may occur directly
2488 or via Okta.)
2489 5. Once the new identity and its access privileges have been provisioned, SailPoint audits the iden-
2490 tity and provisioning actions that were just performed.
2491 6. As the new enterprise accounts appear in the SaaS, IaaS, enterprise application, endpoint pro-
2492 tection, and other components, Radiant Logic is notified. Radiant Logic collects, correlates and
2493 virtualizes this new identity information and adds it back into the global identity profile that it is
2494 maintaining. It also updates its HR, authentication, and authorization (AuthN/AuthZ) views to
2495 reflect the recent changes. Okta will eventually query these authentication and authorization
2499 7. In addition, because Okta is maintaining its own internal identity directory, which is a mirrored
2500 version of the information in Radiant Logic, Radiant Logic pushes the new account identity infor-
2501 mation into Okta, thereby synchronizing its extended user profile attribute information with
2502 Okta. This provides Okta with additional contextual data regarding users and devices that Radi-
2503 ant Logic has aggregated from all identity sources, beyond the birthright provisioning infor-
2504 mation that SailPoint provided. Also (not labeled in the diagram), Radiant Logic then collects and
2505 correlates identity information from Okta back into the global identity profile that it is maintain-
2506 ing.
Okta
5) SailPoint audits new
identity and provisioning
actions
SaaS
SailPoint
3) SailPoint 4) SailPoint provisions IaaS
AuthN/AuthZ
provisions Birthright Role access to
Birthright 7) Radiant Logic appropriate enterprise
Role access provides extended user resources
to profile attribute Enterprise App
appropriate synchronization with
enterprise Okta
AD resources AD
1 2
Identity Metadata
2) SailPoint detects
Endpoint Prot
new HR record,
which triggers a
Joiner lifecycle event
Radiant
Enhanced Identity Data Sources Logic
Credential 6) Radiant Logic updates
SAP HR Mgt 1) New, active the HR and AuthN/AuthZ
HR record views as new enterprise
appears in accounts appear
Radiant Logic HR
Workday view Legend
Risk Scoring Identity Correlation
Identity Management
Identity AuthN/AuthZ
SIEM Notifications
2512 1. When a user changes roles within the enterprise, an authorized HR staff member is assumed to
2513 input information into some sort of enterprise employee management application that will re-
2514 sult in the Radiant Logic HR record for that user indicating that the user has changed roles.
2515 2. SailPoint detects this updated HR record in Radiant Logic. SailPoint evaluates this updated HR
2516 record, which triggers a Mover lifecycle event, causing SailPoint to execute a policy-driven work-
2517 flow that includes steps 3, 4, 5, and 6.
2518 3. SailPoint removes access permissions associated with the user’s prior role (but not with the
2519 user’s new role) from the user’s AD account and removes access from other enterprise re-
2520 sources (e.g., SaaS, IaaS, enterprise applications, MDM) that the user had been authorized to
2521 access as a result of their prior role but they are not authorized to access as a result of their new
2522 role. Also (not labeled in the diagram), Radiant Logic then collects and correlates any changes
2523 that were made to the user’s account from AD into the global identity profile that it is maintain-
2524 ing.
2525 4. Assuming there are enterprise resources that the user’s new role entitles them to access that
2526 are not managed by AD, SailPoint provisions access to these resources for the user by creating
2527 new accounts for the user, as appropriate, in SaaS, IaaS, enterprise application, endpoint protec-
2528 tion, MDM, and other components. (This provisioning may occur directly or via Okta.)
2529 5. SailPoint generates an access review for management to confirm or revoke the changes that
2530 have been made. Such an access review is not strictly necessary. The permission changes could
2531 be executed in a fully automated manner, if desired, and specified by policy. However, having an
2532 access review provides management with the opportunity to exercise some supervisory discre-
2533 tion to permit the user to temporarily continue to have access to some resources associated
2534 with their former role that may still be needed.
2535 6. Once the access review has been completed and any access privilege changes deemed neces-
2536 sary have been performed, SailPoint audits the changes.
2537 7. As the new enterprise accounts appear in the SaaS, IaaS, enterprise application, endpoint pro-
2538 tection, and other components, and as existing account access is removed, Radiant Logic is noti-
2539 fied. Radiant Logic collects, correlates, and virtualizes this new identity information and adds it
2540 back into the global identity profile that it is maintaining. It also updates its HR, authentication,
2544 8. In addition, because Okta is maintaining its own internal identity directory, which is a mirrored
2545 version of the information in Radiant Logic, Radiant Logic pushes the modified account identity
2546 information into Okta, thereby synchronizing its user profile attribute information with Okta.
2547 Also (not labeled in the diagram), Radiant Logic then collects and correlates identity information
2548 from Okta back into the global identity profile that it is maintaining.
SailPoint
4) SailPoint provisions IaaS
AuthN/AuthZ
3) SailPoint access associated with
removes new role
8) RADIANTLOGIC
access
provides extended user
associated
with old role
profile attribute Enterprise App
synchronization with
Okta
AD AD
1 2
Identity Metadata
2554 1. When a user’s employment is terminated, an authorized HR staff member is assumed to input
2555 information into some sort of enterprise employee management application that will result in
2556 the Radiant Logic HR record for that user indicating that the user has changed from active to in-
2557 active status.
2558 2. SailPoint detects this updated HR record in Radiant Logic. SailPoint evaluates this updated HR
2559 record, which triggers a Leaver lifecycle event, causing SailPoint to execute a policy-driven work-
2560 flow that includes steps 3, 4, 5, and 6.
2561 3. SailPoint removes all access permissions associated with the user identity from AD. Also (not la-
2562 beled in the diagram), Radiant Logic then collects and correlates this user access authorization
2563 change from AD into the global identity profile that it is maintaining.
2564 4. SailPoint either disables or deletes all enterprise resource accounts associated with the user
2565 identity, as defined by policy, from components such as SaaS, IaaS, enterprise applications, and
2566 endpoint protection platforms. (SailPoint may perform these actions directly or via Okta.)
2567 5. SailPoint removes the user identity from all governance groups the identity is in.
2568 6. SailPoint audits the changes made as a result of this user termination.
2569 7. As the enterprise accounts associated with the user’s identity are deleted or disabled, Radiant
2570 Logic is notified. Radiant Logic collects, correlates, and virtualizes this new identity information
2571 and adds it back into the global identity profile that it is maintaining. It also updates its HR, au-
2572 thentication, and authorization views to reflect the recent changes. Okta will eventually query
2573 these authentication and authorization information views in Radiant Logic to determine
2574 whether or not to grant future user access requests.
2575 8. In addition, because Okta is maintaining its own internal identity directory, which is a mirrored
2576 version of the information in Radiant Logic, Radiant Logic pushes the modified account identity
2577 information into Okta, thereby synchronizing its user profile attribute information with Okta.
2578 Also (not labeled in the diagram), Radiant Logic then collects and correlates identity information
2579 from Okta back into the global identity profile that it is maintaining.
Okta
5) SailPoint removes user
from governance groups 6) SailPoint audits
termination SaaS
SailPoint
4) SailPoint IaaS
AuthN/AuthZ
3) SailPoint disables/deletes
removes enterprise resource
8) Radiant Logic
access accounts as defined by
provides extended user
associated policy
with identity
profile attribute Enterprise App
synchronization with
Okta
AD AD
1 2
2) SailPoint
Identity Metadata
Endpoint Prot
detects updated
HR record which
triggers Leaver
lifecycle event Radiant
Enhanced Identity Data Sources Logic
Credential 7) Radiant Logic updates
SAP HR Mgt 1) Radiant Logic
HR and AuthN/AuthZ
HR record
views as identity accounts
indicates a status
are disabled/deleted
change from
active to inactive Legend
Workday
Risk Scoring Identity Correlation
Identity Management
Identity AuthN/AuthZ
SIEM Notifications
2593 The message flow depicted in Figure D-6 shows only the messages that are sent in response to the
2594 access request. However, the authentication process also relies on the following additional background
2595 communications that occur among components on an ongoing basis:
2596 The Ivanti Neurons for UEM agent periodically syncs with Ivanti Neurons for UEM to
2597 reauthenticate the requesting endpoint device using a unique certificate that has been
2598 provisioned specifically for that device and send Ivanti Neurons for UEM information about
2599 device attributes.
2600 Zimperium periodically sends mobile defense threat information to Ivanti Neurons for UEM.
2601 Ivanti Neurons for UEM determines device health status based on the above information that it
2602 receives from both the Ivanti Neurons for UEM agent and Zimperium.
2603 Ivanti Neurons for UEM periodically sends device health information to Ivanti Access ZSO.
2604 Ivanti Neurons for UEM also periodically sends device health information to the Ivanti Sentry
2605 gateway.
2606 Okta periodically synchronizes with Ivanti Neurons for UEM and Ivanti Access ZSO to get the
2607 most up-to-date identity information and ensure that the endpoint device is managed by Ivanti
2608 Neurons for UEM.
1. User logs
into device
2. User makes a request to access the resource. The request
is sent on the Ivanti VPN to Ivanti Sentry (a PEP)
15. Resource accepts the token and grants the access request.
The user access session between the endpoint and the resource is secured according to policy
2610 The message flow depicted in Figure D-6 assumes that a VPN between an app on the user’s endpoint
2611 and the Ivanti Sentry gateway (PEP) has already been set up and connected prior to the user’s access
2612 request. This VPN connection is established automatically as soon as the device is connected to the
2613 network, and it can be configured to be in an “Always On” state. The steps in this message flow, which
2614 depicts a successful resource access, are as follows:
2615 1. The user logs into their device and authenticates themselves according to organization policy as
2616 configured in Ivanti Neurons for UEM. (This login could be accomplished with a fingerprint ID,
2617 face ID, PIN, derived credentials, or any other mechanism that is supported by the device and
2618 permitted by organizational policy as configured in the UEM.)
2619 2. The user requests to access a resource. This request is sent on the VPN from the user’s endpoint
2620 to the Ivanti Sentry gateway, which acts as a PEP.
2625 4. Okta requests the user to provide authentication information by using Okta FastPass. Okta
2626 FastPass allows the user to bypass username and password authentication because Okta trusts
2627 that the user properly authenticated when they initially logged into the device in step 1, and
2628 Okta knows (from background communications with Ivanti Access ZSO) that Ivanti Neurons for
2629 UEM is managing the device.
2630 5. The user provides first-factor authentication information by pressing the Okta FastPass button
2631 displayed on the device.
2632 6. Okta forwards the access request information to Ivanti Access ZSO because Okta will rely on and
2633 trust Ivanti Access ZSO to perform user authentication and verify the request’s attributes to en-
2634 sure that they conform with policy. In this instance, Ivanti Access will act as a PDP to determine
2635 whether the access request should be granted.
2636 7. Ivanti Access authenticates the user using the access request information relayed by Okta. Ivanti
2637 Access gets user identities, attributes, and device information from a published certificate that
2638 was provisioned uniquely to the device. The certificate contains user information in a Certificate
2639 Subject Alternative field. Ivanti Neurons for UEM uses Okta as an identity provider and regularly
2640 syncs with Okta to remain up to date. It does not reach back to Okta every time an identity re-
2641 quest comes in. Ivanti Access also verifies that the device complies with its conditional access
2642 policy. If any policy is being violated, device access is blocked and a remediation page is pre-
2643 sented to the user. Ivanti Access ZSO makes this determination based on information it has been
2644 receiving in the background from Ivanti Neurons for UEM and Zimperium.
2645 8. Ivanti Access ZSO notifies Okta that it has approved the access request by signing an authentica-
2646 tion token using the Ivanti Access ZSO signing certificate.
2647 9. Okta initiates second-factor authentication using the Okta Verify App. Okta requires the user to
2648 present their biometric information to authenticate themselves to the device, and then the Okta
2649 Verify App displays a notification on the device informing the user that they must respond (e.g.,
2650 tap a confirmation button on the display) to prove that they are in possession of the device.
2651 10. The user presents their biometric information and responds to the Okta Verify notification,
2652 thereby providing the second authentication factor.
2653 11. Okta creates a SAML assertion and sends it to the requesting endpoint.
2656 13. The Ivanti Sentry gateway verifies device health and compliance based on the device infor-
2657 mation it has been receiving in the background from Ivanti Neurons for UEM.
2658 14. The Ivanti Sentry gateway permits the SAML assertion to proceed to the resource.
2659 15. The resource accepts the assertion and grants the access request. User traffic to and from the
2660 resource is secured according to policy (e.g., using TLS or HTTPS).
2661 Note that the message flow depicted in Figure D-6 applies to several of the use cases we are
2662 considering. It applies to all cases in which a user with an enterprise ID who can successfully
2663 authenticate themselves and who is using an enterprise-owned endpoint requests and receives access
2664 to an enterprise resource that they are authorized to access. The message flow is the same regardless of
2665 whether the employee is located on-premises at headquarters, on-premises at a branch office, or off-
2666 premises at home or elsewhere. It is also the same regardless of whether the resource is located on-
2667 premises or in the cloud.
2676 E3B1 components consist of Microsoft Azure AD, Microsoft AD, F5 BIG-IP, Microsoft Endpoint Manager,
2677 Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Lookout MES, PC Matic Pro, Microsoft Sentinel, Tenable.io,
2678 Tenable.ad, Mandiant MSV, Forescout eyeSight, Palo Alto Networks NGFW, and DigiCert CertCentral.
2679 Table F-1 lists all of the technologies used in E3B1 ZTA. It lists the products used to instantiate each ZTA
2680 component and the security function that the component provides.
2699 E3B1 was designed with a single ICAM system (Microsoft Azure AD) that serves as identity, access, and
2700 credential manager and also serves as the ZTA PE and PA. It includes three PEPs: Microsoft Azure AD, F5
2701 BIG-IP, and Lookout MES. A more detailed depiction of the messages that flow among components to
2702 support user access requests in the two different cases when the resource is being protected by the
2703 Azure AD PEP versus the F5 BIG-IP PEP can be found in Appendices F.2.3.1 and F.2.3.2.
Cloud
Azure On-Prem
F5 BIG-IP
I(5). Session
User Lookout MES
Endpoint S(D). Periodic reauthentication
challenge/response and endpoint
hygiene verification
2711 The two message flows that are supported by Enterprise 3 for this use case depend on whether the
2712 resource being accessed is protected by Azure AD alone (see Appendix F.2.3.1) or by Azure AD in
2713 conjunction with the F5 BIG-IP PEP (see Appendix F.2.3.2).
2714 Regardless of which components are being used to protect the resource, all endpoints are enrolled into
2715 Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which is an MDM (and a UEM) that can configure and manage devices and
2716 can also retrieve and report on device security settings that can be used to determine compliance, such
2717 as whether the device is running a firewall or anti-malware. Non-Windows devices have an MDM agent
2726 One of the criteria that devices must meet to be considered compliant is that they must have antivirus
2727 software updated and running. In both scenarios below, some requesting endpoints have Microsoft
2728 Defender Antivirus running on them and other requesting endpoints have PC Matic Pro (also antivirus
2729 software) running; no endpoints have both turned on. If a device is running Microsoft Defender
2730 Antivirus, the Endpoint Manager MDM can sense this and report it to Azure AD. If a device is running PC
2731 Matic Pro, however, the device is configured to notify Windows Security Center that the endpoint has
2732 antivirus software installed, and the Security Center provides this information to Azure AD.
2733 The authentication message flows depicted below show only the messages that are sent in response to
2734 the access request. However, the authentication process also relies on the following additional
2735 background communications that occur among components on an ongoing basis:
2736 Microsoft AD periodically synchronizes with Azure AD to provide it with the most up-to-date
2737 identity information.
2738 Endpoint Manager-enrolled devices check in with Endpoint Manager periodically. Checking in
2739 allows Endpoint Manager to determine how the endpoint is configured and modify certain
2740 configurations that have been previously specified. It also allows Endpoint Manager to report
2741 the compliance of the device to Azure AD.
2742 Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has both a cloud component and built-in sensors that detect
2743 threat signals from Windows endpoints. So not only can it tell that a firewall is disabled or
2744 antivirus is off, but it can tell when certain malicious signals seen elsewhere have also been
2745 observed on your endpoint. It periodically reports this information to its cloud/management
2746 component, which uses it for risk determination. This information can be passed off to Endpoint
2747 Manager to include in its compliance determination of an endpoint.
2748 Microsoft Defender Antivirus (an endpoint agent) periodically syncs with Microsoft Endpoint
2749 Manager and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
2750 Microsoft Endpoint Manager periodically sends device health information to Azure AD Endpoint
2751 Manager so that it can be sure that the device is managed and compliant.
2752 PC Matic periodically syncs with Windows Security Center to inform it that that the endpoint has
2753 antivirus installed and active.
PC Matic Requesting
Endpoint Suite endpoint
Azure AD Endpoint Microsoft Endpoint Windows Endpoint
User Microsoft Microsoft AD
Lookout MES Manager Manager and Defender Security Hosting
Defender & Azure AD
(Conditional Access) for Endpoint Center Resource
4. User responds
5. Azure AD authenticates the user and
verifies device health/compliance
The user access session between the endpoint and the resource is secured according to policy
2761 The message flow depicted in Figure F-2 consists of the following steps:
2766 5. Azure AD authenticates the user. Azure AD consults the information about the device that it has
2767 received in the background from Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Defender for Endpoint to au-
2768 thenticate the device and verify that it is managed and meets compliance requirements. If the
2772 6. Azure AD challenges the user to provide the second authentication factor.
2775 9. The resource accepts the assertion and grants the access request. User traffic to and from the
2776 resource is secured according to policy (e.g., using TLS or HTTPS).
2777 F.2.3.2 Use Case in which Resource Access Is Enforced by an F5 BIG-IP PEP
2778 Figure F-3 depicts the message flow for the case in which access to the resource is protected by F5 BIG-
2779 IP, which acts as an identity aware proxy PEP; Microsoft Azure AD, which acts as an ICAM provider and
2780 PDP; and Microsoft AD, which provides identity information.
PC Matic Requesting
Endpoint Suite endpoint
Azure AD Endpoint Microsoft Endpoint F5 BIG-IP Endpoint
User Microsoft Microsoft AD
Lookout MES Manager Manager and Defender Proxy/PEP Hosting
Defender & Azure AD
(Conditional Access) for Endpoint Resource
1. User requests access to resource; BIG-IP acts as a PEP and intercepts the request
4. User responds
5. Azure AD authenticates the user and
verifies device health/compliance
6. Azure AD challenges user to provide
second factor authentication
The user access session between the endpoint and the resource is secured according to policy
2782 The message flow depicted in Figure F-3 consists of the following steps:
2784 2. BIG-IP, which is acting as an identity-aware proxy PEP that sits in front of the resource, inter-
2785 cepts and forwards the request to Azure AD.
2788 5. Azure AD authenticates the user. Azure AD consults the information about the device that it has
2789 received in the background from Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Defender for Endpoint to au-
2790 thenticate the device and verify that it is managed and meets compliance requirements. If the
2791 device has PC Matic running on it, Azure AD also consults information about the device that it
2792 has received in the background from Windows Security Center to verify that the device is run-
2793 ning antivirus software.
2794 6. Azure AD challenges the user to provide the second authentication factor.
2796 8. Azure AD sends a SAML assertion to BIG-IP which serves as an identity-aware proxy, service pro-
2797 vider, and the PEP protecting the resource.
2798 9. BIG-IP accepts the SAML assertion and permits the access request to proceed to the resource.
2799 User traffic to and from the resource is secured according to policy (e.g., using TLS or HTTPS).