The history of Zero Trust

The history of Zero Trust spans several decades and can be traced back to the early days of computer networks. While the term “Zero Trust” was not coined until 2010 by John Kindervag, a former analyst at Forrester Research, the underlying principles have evolved since then, shaped by technological advancements and the changing threat landscape. To fully understand the concept’s development, we must delve into the milestones that contributed to its inception and growth.

Initially, computer networks were designed with an inherent level of trust. The idea was that internal systems and users within a network were secure, and any threat would come from external sources. This was the foundation of the traditional “castle-and-moat” approach to network security, which focused on creating a strong perimeter around an organization’s resources to keep external threats at bay.

However, as technology evolved and the internet...