Enhancing Cloud Security with Zero Trust Principles: Continuous Authentication and Micro-Segmentation

Authors

  • P. Lavanya
  • P. Vidyullatha
  • Anne Prasanna Kumar
  • Ambati Manideep
  • P Sai Teja
  • PVRD Prasada Rao

Abstract

As organizations increasingly adopt cloud infras- tructures to support their data, applications, and workflows, they face evolving security challenges that traditional perimeter- based models fail to address. The Zero Trust Security Model (ZTSM) has emerged as a resilient approach that redefines cloud data protection by adopting a ”never trust, always verify” philosophy. This paper explores the implementation of two core Zero Trust strategies— continuous authentication and micro- segmentation—to secure cloud environments. Continuous authen-tication enables real-time, context- driven identity verification by leveraging behavioral analytics and machine learning, thereby reducing the risks associated with compromised credentials and insider threats. Micro-segmentation, on the other hand, isolates cloud networks into granular segments governed by strict access policies, limiting lateral movement and containing potential breaches. Together, these strategies not only bolster resilience against advanced threats but also support regulatory compliance through enhanced visibility and auditability. This paper also presents a simulation-based implementation and analysis of the Zero Trust model, demonstrating its effectiveness in improving cloud security through adaptive access controls. The results con- firm the viability of Zero Trust as a scalable, future-ready solution to modern cybersecurity challenges in cloud environments.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Aijaz, A., et al., ”Zero Trust Security: A Framework for a New Security Paradigm,” Journal of Information Security and Applications, vol. 55, 2021.

Ament, S., and Behnia, S., ”Implementing Zero Trust: A Practical Guide,” Cybersecurity Review, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 23–30, 2020.

Anderson, R., Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems, Wiley, 2020.

Baird, J., ”Micro-Segmentation for Enhanced Cloud Security,” Cloud Computing Security Issues and Challenges, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 110– 118, 2021.

Baroudi, A., et al., ”Continuous Authentication and Authorization in Cloud Environments,” International Journal of Cloud Computing and Services Science, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 203–210, 2020.

Becker, M., et al., ”The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Zero Trust Security,” IEEE Access, vol. 10, pp. 2345–2359, 2022.

Brandom, R., ”Zero Trust Security: Why It’s Essential for Cloud Security,” TechCrunch, 2021.

Chatterjee, D. and Gupta, A., ”Implementing Zero Trust Architecture in Enterprise Security,” Information Systems Security, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 274–291, 2022.

Cloud Security Alliance, ”Zero Trust Architecture,” Cloud Security Alliance, 2020.

Dean, J., and Gunter, D., ”User Behavior Analytics and Zero Trust Security,” Journal of Cyber Security Technology, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 130–144, 2019.

Dubey, R. and Gunasekaran, A., ”Micro-Segmentation: The New Fron- tier of Data Protection,” Information Systems Frontiers, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 1267–1282, 2020.

Federman, B., et al., ”A Comparative Analysis of Zero Trust Models,” Cybersecurity and Privacy, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–20, 2021.

Fielder, A., and Dolan, C., ”Understanding Micro-Segmentation for Cloud Security,” Journal of Cloud Computing, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 245–257, 2021.

Gartner Inc., ”Implementing a Zero Trust Security Model: A Practical Guide,” Gartner Research, 2021.

Gifford, S., ”Zero Trust Security and the Future of Cyber Defense,” InformationWeek, 2022.

Grunberg, H., ”Zero Trust: The Paradigm Shift in Cybersecurity,” International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence and Cybercrime, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 15–29, 2020.

Houghton, R., and Steele, R., ”Behavioral Biometrics in Continuous Authentication,” IEEE Security & Privacy, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 70–77, 2022.

Jankowski, S., ”Micro-Segmentation and the Cloud: How to Secure Your Data,” Network Security, 2021(10), pp. 12–17, 2021.

Kaplan, J., ”Zero Trust and the Modern Workplace,” Harvard Business Review, 2020.

Kharal, A., and Kaur, R., ”Risk Assessment and Zero Trust Security,” Cybersecurity, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 50–66, 2021.

Kim, Y., and Kwon, H., ”A Framework for Implementing Zero Trust Architecture,” Journal of Information Technology, vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 239–251, 2020.

Lee, C., ”Challenges and Solutions in Zero Trust Security,” Computers & Security, vol. 113, 102515, 2022.

Liu, S., ”Continuous Authentication Using Behavioral Biometrics,” Journal of Information Security Research, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 130–144, 2021.

Majid, U., et al., ”The Evolution of Zero Trust Security Models,” Inter- national Journal of Information Security, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 315–329, 2020.

Mandal, D. and Pal, A., ”Micro-Segmentation and Its Role in Cyberse- curity,” Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 56–67, 2021.

McCoy, L., ”Implementing Zero Trust for Cloud Security,” Infosecurity Magazine, 2020.

Microsoft, ”Zero Trust Deployment Guide,” Microsoft Documentation, 2021.

Morrow, B., ”Zero Trust Security: A Guide for Organizations,” CIO Magazine, 2021.

NIST, ”Zero Trust Architecture,” NIST Special Publication 800-207, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2020.

Peltier, T., Information Security Policies, Procedures, and Standards: A Practitioner’s Reference, Auerbach Publications, 2021.

Ramachandran, R., and Makarand, V., ”Zero Trust Security: Challenges and Implementation,” International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 45– 60, 2020.

Raghavan, S., ”Securing Cloud Applications with Micro- Segmentation,” Journal of Cloud Computing: Advances, Systems and Applications, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 21–30, 2022.

Reddy, P., and Rao, R., ”Continuous Authentication in Cloud Services,” Journal of Cloud Computing Research, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 177–190, 2021.

RSA, ”Zero Trust Security Model: A Practical Approach,” RSA White Paper, 2021.

Saket, S., and Kumar, A., ”Zero Trust Architecture for Cloud Comput- ing,” International Journal of Cloud Computing and Services Science, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 75–85, 2020.

Sharma, R., and Tyagi, S., ”Behavioral Analysis in Continuous Authen- tication,” Security and Privacy, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 45–57, 2021.

Smith, J., ”The Importance of Micro-Segmentation in Cybersecurity,” Cyber Defense Magazine, 2021.

Tiwari, M., and Kumar, P., ” Zero Trust: A Paradigm Shift in Cyber- security,” Journal of Computer Security, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 543–556, 2021.

VMware, ”Micro-Segmentation: The Key to Securing Cloud Environ- ments,” VMware White Paper, 2020.

Zhang, L., ”Evaluating the Effectiveness of Zero Trust Models,” Journal of Information Systems Security, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 137–150,

Downloads

Published

2025-05-27

How to Cite

1.
Lavanya P, Vidyullatha P, Kumar AP, Manideep A, Teja PS, Rao PP. Enhancing Cloud Security with Zero Trust Principles: Continuous Authentication and Micro-Segmentation. J Neonatal Surg [Internet]. 2025May27 [cited 2025Sep.21];14(28S). Available from: https://www.jneonatalsurg.com/index.php/jns/article/view/5862

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 28S (2025): Journal of Neonatal Surgery

Section

Review Article

License

Copyright (c) 2025 P. Lavanya, P. Vidyullatha, Anne Prasanna Kumar, Ambati Manideep, P Sai Teja, PVRD Prasada Rao

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

You are free to:

  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

Terms:

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
  • No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.