Getting Zero-Trust Products Up to Par

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has successfully assessed and approved three Zero Trust (ZT) solutions that meet or exceed the Target Level security requirements. These systems underwent rigorous evaluation by an independent DoD Purple Team, following a structured ZT Assessment Process designed by the DoD Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office (ZT PfMO).

Key Zero Trust Solutions Approved:

1. FlankSpeed (Dept of Navy) – Achieved Advanced Level ZT
2. Fort Zero (Dell Corp) – Achieved Target Level ZT

3. Thunderdome (DISA) – Achieved Advanced Level ZT

These milestones were announced at TECHNET Baltimore, marking a significant step in the DoD’s 5-year plan to achieve full Zero Trust adoption by FY27.

You Should Know: Zero Trust Implementation & Key Commands

1. Zero Trust Core Principles

• Never Trust, Always Verify – Every access request must be authenticated and authorized.
• Least Privilege Access – Users and devices get only the minimum permissions necessary.
• Micro-Segmentation – Networks are divided into secure zones to limit lateral movement.

2. Essential Zero Trust Tools & Commands

Linux (For ZT Enforcement)

 Check active network connections (ZT monitoring) 
ss -tulnp

Enforce strict firewall rules (Micro-segmentation) 
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP 
sudo iptables -A INPUT -s 192.168.1.100 -p tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPT

Log all authentication attempts (ZT Verification) 
sudo grep "authentication failure" /var/log/auth.log 

Windows (For ZT Policies)

 Enable Audit Logging for ZT Monitoring 
auditpol /set /subcategory:"Logon" /success:enable /failure:enable

Enforce Network Segmentation 
Set-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block Lateral Movement" -Action Block -Direction Inbound

Verify Device Health Before Granting Access (ZT Compliance Check) 
Get-MpComputerStatus | Select-Object AntivirusEnabled, RealTimeProtectionEnabled 

1. Purple Team Testing (Red + Blue Collaboration)
   • Red Team (Attack Simulation)

     nmap -sV -T4 192.168.1.0/24  Network reconnaissance 
     hydra -l admin -P passwords.txt ssh://192.168.1.1  Brute-force attack simulation 
     

   • Blue Team (Defensive Measures)

     sudo fail2ban-client status sshd  Monitor brute-force attempts 
     sudo tcpdump -i eth0 'port 22' -w ssh_traffic.pcap  Capture suspicious SSH traffic 
     

What Undercode Say

Zero Trust is no longer a theoretical concept—it’s a proven defense strategy adopted by the DoD. The success of FlankSpeed, Fort Zero, and Thunderdome demonstrates that large-scale ZT implementation is achievable. However, organizations must:
– Enforce strict identity verification (MFA, biometrics).
– Segment networks aggressively (prevent lateral movement).
– Continuously monitor and log access attempts.

For cybersecurity professionals, mastering Linux security commands, PowerShell policies, and Purple Team tactics is critical. The DoD’s progress confirms that Zero Trust is the future of enterprise security.

Expected Output:

• Zero Trust Assessment Guide: afcea.org
• NIST Zero Trust Framework: NIST SP 800-207
• Microsoft Zero Trust Deployment: Microsoft ZT Docs

Prediction

By 2027, Zero Trust will become the default security model for government and enterprise networks, with AI-driven automated policy enforcement reducing human errors in access control. Legacy systems without ZT will face higher breach risks.

References:

Reported By: Randy Resnick – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

Join Our Cyber World:

💬 Whatsapp | 💬 Telegram