What principle assumes a company's network is always at risk, even after user authentication?

The concept that assumes a company's network is always at risk, even after user authentication, is based on the Zero Trust security model. This principle operates under the assumption that threats could exist both outside and inside the network, and therefore, no user or device should be trusted by default, regardless of whether they are inside the perimeter of the network.

In a Zero Trust environment, continuous verification of user identities and their access rights is mandatory, even after successful authentication. This involves not only verifying who the user is, but also monitoring their behavior and the context of their access throughout their session. This proactive approach helps in minimizing potential security breaches caused by insider threats or compromised credentials.

The other principles, while important in their own right, do not encapsulate the comprehensive and cautious stance of always assuming risk inherent in every network transaction that the Zero Trust model promotes. For instance, the principle of Least Privilege restricts user access rights to the bare minimum necessary for their job functions, and the Need to Know principle limits information access based on necessity. Whitelisting refers to allowing only specified entities to access resources, which does not inherently carry the same philosophy of risk assumption that Zero Trust embodies. Therefore, in the context of continuously assuming risk, Zero Trust is the most