Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) enforces the principle of "never trust, always verify." Unlike traditional perimeter-based security, ZTNA continuously evaluates access requests using dynamic factors. These include:

User identity (authenticated via SSO or MFA)

Device posture (device compliance, health status)

Contextual information (time of access, location, behavior patterns)

This layered decision-making process ensures that access is tightly controlled and highly contextual, minimizing attack surfaces and mitigating lateral movement within networks.

ZTNA aligns with cloud-native security practices discussed inDomain 7: Infrastructure Security, emphasizing the transition from static access control lists to dynamic, identity-centric enforcement models.