What is Zero Trust Architecture? 9 Steps to Implementation

**Executive summary:** This report provides an overview of the Zero Trust cybersecurity model, covering its origins, fundamental principles (assume breach, least privilege, continuous authentication/authorization), key approaches (enhanced identity governance, micro‑segmentation, software‑defined perimeters), distinctions between ZTA and ZTNA, five practical use cases, risk considerations (secure configuration, DoS, stolen credentials/insider threats), and a nine-step implementation roadmap; it also highlights SecurityScorecard’s continuous environment scanning and vendor-risk monitoring capabilities. The content is educational guidance for architects and security teams rather than a description of a cyber incident or threat intelligence artifacts.