Ransomware is evolving faster than traditional defenses can keep up. In 2025, high-profile attacks have disrupted airports, hospitals, and manufacturers worldwide (Reuters). Despite billions invested in firewalls and detection tools, businesses continue to face downtime, lost revenue, and damaged reputations.
To stay ahead, companies must rethink their ransomware protection strategy. That’s where Zero Trust comes in.
The FBI reported a 9% increase in ransomware complaints targeting U.S. critical infrastructure in 2024 (Reuters). Attackers now leverage AI, phishing, and supply-chain compromise to move faster and deeper.
Most ransomware doesn’t stop at a single system. It spreads laterally - seeking databases, file shares, and backups. Flat networks and implicit trust make this easy.
Why Legacy Ransomware Protection Falls Short
Once inside, attackers often move freely because VPNs and firewalls assume everything inside the network is trusted.
While segmentation can contain ransomware, it often requires IP readdressing and ACL rewrites - operationally risky and time-consuming.
Alerts come after encryption or exfiltration has begun. At that point, the damage is already underway.
Zero Trust shifts focus from networks to identities. Every session - user or machine - is validated continuously. Attackers can’t rely on stolen credentials or “trusted zones.”
By limiting each identity to only the resources it needs, Zero Trust prevents ransomware from moving laterally across IT and OT environments.
With an overlay, controls live above your network. That means you can isolate critical systems instantly - without risky infrastructure changes.
Ransomware propagation is stopped at the identity layer. Attackers can’t leapfrog from IT laptops into OT controllers.
Databases, file servers, and industrial systems can be ring-fenced in minutes — no downtime required.
Even if a partner or vendor is compromised, access is constrained by identity-based controls.
| Attack Vector / Threat | How Zero Trust + Overlay Blocks It |
|---|---|
| Phishing → Credential Theft | Stolen credentials still face identity approval, context, and device-posture checks before any access. |
| Lateral Movement After Breach | Microsegmentation eliminates implicit trust; east-west paths are restricted to least-privilege access. |
| Vendor / Supply-Chain Pivot | Partner access is ring-fenced by identity-based policies; no broad network reach or shared trust zones. |
| Ransomware Propagation Scripts | Every machine-to-machine session is authorized per policy; scripts can’t execute laterally without identity gates. |
| File Encryption / Exfiltration | Access to file stores and databases is explicitly allowed/denied per identity; unauthorized sessions are blocked. |
Quickly contain sensitive assets without touching their IPs.
Every access request is authenticated and authorized against policy - across remote, on-prem, and machine-to-machine traffic.
Overlay-based Zero Trust means you can strengthen ransomware protection today, without waiting for network surgery.
With Zentera’s CoIP Platform, organizations can deploy Zero Trust ransomware protection quickly - enhancing security posture without re-architecting the network.
Learn how Zentera can help your enterprise strengthen ransomware protection and stop lateral movement - download our The Common-Sense Approach to Ransomware Defense whitepaper.