GoKawiilStolen credentials accounted for 22% of known initial access vectors in 2025. It’s the most common way for attackers to breach a network, and once inside, excessive permissions and limited visibility often allow them to escalate unchecked.
Zero Trust is positioned as the answer. In theory, removing implicit trust and requiring every access request to be verified should improve security. But in practice, simply adopting Zero Trust principles isn’t enough.
If it’s implemented as a set of isolated controls rather than a cohesive identity strategy, gaps remain, and attackers will find them.
To truly strengthen identity security, Zero Trust must be applied with identity at its core: tightly governed, continuously validated, and fully visible across the environment. The following five approaches show how a well-executed Zero Trust model strengthens identity security in practical, measurable ways.
1. Enforcing least privilege access
It’s common for users to accumulate permissions over time as roles change, projects evolve, or temporary access isn’t revoked. The result is a level of access that far exceeds what users actually need for their job.
If attackers compromise that account, they inherit those same privileges, giving them a broader foothold from the outset.
Zero Trust applies the principle of least privilege to limit that exposure. Access is contingent upon specific requirements, rather than broad or permanent permissions. That means just-in-time access and time-bound privileges, with strict segmentation between systems and data.
If credentials are stolen, the potential impact is then contained. Attackers are far less able to escalate privileges or access sensitive systems, reducing both the likelihood and severity of a breach.
Secure your Active Directory passwords with Specops Password Policy Verizon’s Data Breach Investigation Report found stolen credentials are involved in 44.7% of breaches.
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