Zero Trust: The Unsung Hero of Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity professionals are drowning in complexity. Acronyms fly like digital confetti, vendors promise silver bullets, and CISOs find themselves perpetually playing catch-up with increasingly sophisticated threats. Enter OPSWAT’s Steve Gorham, a cyber warfare officer with nearly three decades of military and technology experience, who cuts through the noise with a simple, powerful message: zero trust isn’t just a buzzword – it’s a fundamental security philosophy.
The Evolving Threat Landscape
When OPSWAT analyzed 890,000 cybersecurity scans over twelve months, they uncovered a startling reality – there has been an “127% increase in malware complexity, measured by multi-stage execution chains and obfuscation,” Gorham explains.
The complexity of cyber threats has dramatically transformed from quantity-based attacks to sophisticated, layered infiltration strategies. This isn’t just technical jargon. It’s a wake-up call for every security leader responsible for protecting critical infrastructure and sensitive data.
The Zero Trust Imperative
Gorham’s perspective on zero trust is refreshingly straightforward. “We don’t trust multi-AV scanning. We don’t trust the file. We don’t trust the device. We don’t trust the network,” he says. This approach isn’t a reaction to recent trends – it’s been OPSWAT’s foundational design principle from the beginning.
The philosophy is elegantly simple: assume everything entering your environment is potentially malicious until proven otherwise.
Bridging IT and OT Security
One of OPSWAT’s most significant contributions has been extending zero trust principles across IT and operational technology (OT) environments. Traditional security models often create artificial boundaries between these domains, leaving critical infrastructure vulnerable.
“OT needs the same protections as the IT environment,” Gorham emphasizes.
This holistic approach recognizes that modern cyber threats don’t respect artificial technological boundaries.
The AI Security Challenge
As artificial intelligence becomes ubiquitous, zero trust principles become even more critical. Gorham warns that while organizations rush to implement AI, they’re often neglecting fundamental security considerations.
“How are you securing it?” he challenges. “The training set data is sensitive. You have to understand what you’re putting into the model.”
Practical Implementation Strategies
Zero trust isn’t about ripping and replacing entire technological infrastructures. It’s about implementing strategic controls and understanding data flows. For critical infrastructure like electrical grids, wholesale replacement isn’t feasible. One report suggested it would cost nearly $900 billion – approximately 11% of the entire proposed U.S. government budget.
Instead, organizations must focus on:
- Securing data ingress and egress points
- Implementing multi-layered authentication
- Continuously monitoring and validating access
- Protecting data at every stage of its journey
The Defense in Depth Myth
Gorham provides a fascinating historical perspective, explaining that “defense in depth” originated from military infantry tactics designed to delay adversaries. In cybersecurity, this approach falls short because organizations can’t “counter-attack” like military units.
Zero trust provides a more dynamic, proactive security model that doesn’t rely on reactive strategies.
Call to Action for CISOs
Security leaders must shift from compliance checklists to comprehensive zero trust architectures. This means:
- Treating every network connection as potentially hostile
- Implementing granular access controls
- Continuously validating user and device identities
- Protecting data across all environments
The Future is Zero Trust
As cyber threats become more sophisticated, zero trust isn’t just a strategy – it’s survival. Organizations that embrace this philosophy will be better positioned to protect their most critical assets. Learn more at https://www.opswat.com/
Author’s Note: This exclusive interview was conducted live at the 2025 Black Hat Conference in Las Vegas, featuring Steve Gorham, Chief Strategy Officer of OPSWAT and a cyber warfare officer with the Florida National Guard.
About the Author
Pete Green is the CISO / CTO of Anvil Works, a ProCloud SaaS company and co-author of “The vCISO Playbook: How Virtual CISOs Deliver Enterprise-Grade Cybersecurity to Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs)”. With over 25 years of experience in information technology and cybersecurity, Pete is a seasoned and accomplished security practitioner.
Throughout his career, he has held a wide range of technical and leadership roles, including LAN/WLAN Engineer, Threat Analyst, Security Project Manager, Security Architect, Cloud Security Architect, Principal Security Consultant, Director of IT, CTO, CEO, Virtual CISO, and CISO.
Pete has supported clients across numerous industries, including federal, state, and local government, as well as financial services, healthcare, food services, manufacturing, technology, transportation, and hospitality.
He holds a Master of Computer Information Systems in Information Security from Boston University, which is recognized as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance / Cyber Defense (CAE IA/CD) by the NSA and DHS. He also holds a Master of Business Administration in Informatics.
