Which security paradigm requires continuous authentication for every inter-service request, regardless of network location?

Which security paradigm requires continuous authentication for every inter-service request, regardless of network location?

• A. Identity management
• B. Zero Trust
• C. Secure perimeter
• D. Data plane

Answer: (B)

Continuous verification for every inter-service request, regardless of network location, is the defining idea behind Zero Trust. In Zero Trust, nothing is trusted by default—every access attempt between services must be authenticated, authorized, and encrypted. Decisions are based on who or what is requesting access, the device posture, the data involved, and the current risk context, with least-privilege and micro-segmentation enforcing strict boundaries. This approach protects resources even if an attacker is inside the network or moves laterally, since trust isn’t granted based on location or perimeter alone. By contrast, traditional secure-perimeter models assume trust inside the network, and identity management focuses on provisioning identities rather than continuously validating every inter-service call. The data plane is about how data moves and is protected, not about the ongoing trust model itself.

Continuous verification for every inter-service request, regardless of network location, is the defining idea behind Zero Trust. In Zero Trust, nothing is trusted by default—every access attempt between services must be authenticated, authorized, and encrypted. Decisions are based on who or what is requesting access, the device posture, the data involved, and the current risk context, with least-privilege and micro-segmentation enforcing strict boundaries. This approach protects resources even if an attacker is inside the network or moves laterally, since trust isn’t granted based on location or perimeter alone. By contrast, traditional secure-perimeter models assume trust inside the network, and identity management focuses on provisioning identities rather than continuously validating every inter-service call. The data plane is about how data moves and is protected, not about the ongoing trust model itself.