KT said on the 7th it will advance its "Zero Trust" security strategy and apply an always-on prevention and preemptive response system across enterprise-wide systems. Zero trust is a strategy that goes beyond the traditional perimeter-based security model focused on blocking external threats, applying the principle of "trust no one and always verify" without perimeter distinctions. As AI transformation accelerates and attack surfaces diversify, prompting more sophisticated threats, the shift in security models toward zero trust is speeding up.
KT said it has introduced a zero trust network access (ZTNA) solution to verify access to business systems based on the trust levels of users and devices, and that, on this foundation, it plans to build a threat pre-detection system and strengthen strategies to prevent the transfer and spread of intrusion damage.
KT moved away from a post-incident response approach and introduced a behavior-based detection system to shift to a preemptive security posture. With an endpoint detection and response (EDR) system, it analyzes abnormal behavior occurring on individual devices such as PCs and servers, and with a network detection and response (NDR) system, it analyzes abnormal traffic and attack indicators across the network in real time. An endpoint refers to the initial or final physical device that is consolidated to a computer network to exchange information, such as a mobile device or PC.
It will also establish a system that performs multi-detection of abnormal behavior occurring on devices and networks as a pre-detection capability. This enables early detection not only of unknown new attacks but also of additional attack activities such as abnormal access after internal infiltration.
It will also advance its microsegmentation architecture. Microsegmentation is a technology that controls the spread path of security threats after an attacker infiltrates internally to prevent damage from spreading to other systems.
KT has completed a pilot application of microsegmentation for key systems and some business environments. After completing operational stability and policy verification this year, it plans to segment and apply the permissible ranges of system-by-system access and communications across the entire business environment.
With its Zero Trust Security strategy at the core, KT plans to preemptively respond to evolving cyber threats by broadly applying intelligent threat detection technologies.
CPO Kim Chang-o, a senior vice president in KT's information security office, said, "Based on our ZTNA operating experience, KT is continuously advancing a Zero Trust Security framework centered on always-on prevention and preemptive response," adding, "We will continue to take the lead in applying advanced security technologies such as microsegmentation and behavior-based detection to keep the security level of major business systems and services at the highest level."