IEFRA2 — IEF Alignment with Zero-Trust Architecture

"18.4 Suggestion
1.10.2 IEF Alignment with Zero-Trust Architecture
Figure 1.10-1 illustrates how IEF services align with a Zero-Trust Architecture (ZTA). ZTA is an enterprise cybersecurity model built on zero-trust principles that assume no user or system is inherently trustworthy. This approach eliminates the traditional security paradigm of trusted
internal users vs. untrusted external actors by enforcing continuous verification, least privilege access, and strict policy enforcement at every level.
Unlike legacy perimeter-based security models, which rely on network segmentation and predefined trust zones, ZTA secures access at the data level, ensuring that every user, device, or system must be authenticated and authorized before accessing resources. This model is
essential for modern distributed environments, including cloud services, hybrid networks, and
cross-organization data sharing.
Within the IEF-RA, Data-Centric Security (DCS) operationalizes Zero Trust by enforcing fine-grained access controls at the data object level. This ensures that data protection policies are not tied to a specific system or infrastructure but instead follow the data itself. IEF-RA components, such as Policy Enforcement Points (PEPs), Policy Decision Points (PDPs), and Secure Data Services, implement zero-trust mechanisms that dynamically adjudicate access requests based on identity, policy, and real-time contextual factors.
DCS specifically enforces Zero-Trust (least access) principles for data assets and communications, ensuring that policies apply consistently across multiple domains and use cases, including:
● Chat messages
● Email messages
● Shared files
● System-to-system message exchanges
This alignment enables organizations to maintain strict security postures while enabling interoperability, ensuring that data can be securely shared and accessed only by authorized users under well-defined policies. The following sections will further explore how IEF-RA aligns with key Zero-Trust principles as defined by NIST 800-207 and other security frameworks."