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New security tools are developed as frequently as the threats they combat evolve, which is constantly. Two of the most discussed cybersecurity approaches are the Zero Trust model and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions.
“Zero Trust shrinks the blast radius by limiting access and privilege. EDR gives visibility and rapid response if something slips past the defenses,” said ThreatLocker® Chief Product Officer Rob Allen. “It’s a mistake to see them as opposing because together, they’re complementary strategies in the modern security toolkit.”
EDR is a reactive cybersecurity approach that uses behavioral analysis of systems and endpoints to spot suspicious activity and react accordingly. On its own, it isn’t enough.
The Colonial Pipeline breach of 2021 stemmed from a compromised VPN account with no multifactor authentication. EDR flagged some activity later, but there was no preventive identity control at the door.
That’s where Zero Trust comes in. Preventative by nature, Zero Trust tools block unwanted activity before it starts. Developed as a concept in 2010 by a Forrester Research analyst, it asserts that every user, device, and request should be verified, no matter where it originates.
“Some of the best known Zero Trust strategies, whitelisting in particular, traditionally came with a lot of operational friction. From the start, enterprise CISOs found it too complex to implement at scale,” said Allen.
Meanwhile, EDR, like old-school antivirus protection, lives on the endpoint. Forrester, Gartner, and SANS have repeatedly described EDR as “the evolution of endpoint protection.” Instead of only protecting against known malware, it monitors devices and networks, learns behaviors, and steps in when something looks amiss.
EDR and Zero Trust aren’t competing solutions. Instead, they serve different purposes and complement each other within a robust security strategy:
- EDR is reactive and detective. It identifies and responds to threats after they’ve breached your environment.
- Zero Trust is proactive and preventive. It tightly controls access while continuously verifying trust in new users, applications, and activity.
Understanding the difference between EDR and Zero Trust, and more importantly, how they work better together, is critical for building a modern, layered defense.
Zero Trust vs. EDR: How they compare
How EDR works: Reactive threat detection
EDR provides automated monitoring, threat detection, investigation, and response for devices like laptops, servers, and mobile devices and flags anomalies such as:
- User behavior monitoring: Unusual login times, privilege escalation
- Registry and persistence tracking: Spotting unauthorized startup entries
- Memory analysis: Detecting in-memory malware that doesn’t touch disk
- Response actions: Isolating a host, killing a process, quarantining a file
The strengths and limitations of EDR
The purpose of EDR is to continuously monitor what’s happening on your endpoints, quickly flag activity that deviates from the norm, and take action to contain or neutralize potential threats.
However, when EDR detects a problem, it will look for a known threat first, using behavioral patterns or preset policies to determine if something is a threat. Meaning, for EDR to fully prevent data breaches, it needs to guess correctly every time.
When it comes to zero-day attacks, EDR can be at a disadvantage because the attack is against a previously unknown vulnerability.
How Zero Trust works: Preventive access control
Zero Trust is a proactive security framework that assumes no user, device, or application should be trusted by default, even if they're inside the network perimeter. The core principle is: "Never trust, always verify."
Rather than allowing broad access to systems based on network location or credentials, Zero Trust:
- Requires continuous authentication and authorization
- Enforces the principle of least privilege
- Assumes a breach may have already occurred and works to minimize its impact
How Zero Trust reduces attack surface and lateral movement
Using solutions such as application allowlisting, storage control, network control, and application containment, the Zero Trust model limits threats before they gain a foothold. When implemented correctly, it prevents lateral movement and data exfiltration—even if a threat actor gets past your perimeter.
Zero Trust solutions work independently. They also complement traditional EDR solutions to immediately block known and unknown threats and alert security operations to take further action.
Why EDR alone isn’t enough
With the increased shift to hybrid and remote work, cloud- and mobile-centric workspaces, and zero-day attacks, Zero Trust adoption is even more critical.
While EDR can quickly identify and mitigate an attack, relying on it alone has serious limitations. For one, its reactive nature means that some threats will not be mitigated in time, compared to Zero Trust measures that proactively defend each individual resource. Secondly, a Zero Trust approach results in fewer alerts and greater labor efficiency through highly effective containment and automation that minimize manual effort.
Ransomware can encrypt systems in minutes, and detection alone isn’t sufficient defense. You need preventive controls to complement your reactive tools.
This is where Zero Trust fills the gap.
Why Zero Trust and EDR work better together
Rather than thinking of it as EDR or Zero Trust, think of it as EDR and Zero Trust. When combined, these tools create a layered defense strategy that strengthens every phase of the security lifecycle.
Zero Trust blocks known and unknown threats by default while EDR will detect suspicious activity and alert security operations to determine if additional action is needed.
Together, they deliver:
- Prevention plus detection
- Access control plus incident response
- Real-time protection plus historical analysis
In short, Zero Trust minimizes the chance of compromise, while EDR minimizes the impact when compromise occurs.
How ThreatLocker strengthens EDR with a Zero Trust approach
The misconception that it’s Zero Trust vs. EDR often comes down to misunderstanding their roles. Instead of choosing one over the other, using both offers a mature, resilient security posture.
By combining preventive, proactive measures like Zero Trust with detective, reactive capabilities like EDR, organizations can better protect their systems, data, and users in today’s threat landscape.
Application Allowlisting
Allows only approved applications to run, blocking any unknown executables before EDR needs to react.
Ringfencing™
Restricts even trusted applications from executing any actions not explicitly approved.
Storage Control
Prevents unauthorized encryption or exfiltration of data, containing ransomware damage.
To learn more about how the TheatLocker Zero Trust platform complements EDR solutions to deliver a layered defense strategy, book a customized demo with one of our Solutions Engineers.
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