Zero-Trust Patterns

When to Activate

• Designing service-to-service communication in Kubernetes or cloud environments
• Implementing mTLS between microservices
• Setting up SPIFFE/SPIRE for workload identity
• Configuring Istio or Linkerd service mesh
• Writing Kubernetes NetworkPolicies
• Reviewing east-west traffic security
• Building BeyondCorp-style access controls
• Auditing existing cluster network policies for trust boundary gaps

Core Principles (NIST SP 800-207)

Zero-Trust Architecture operates on four pillars: