CISOs Best Practices for 2025: Zero Trust, Compliance and Supply Chain Security

Read full article here: https://entro.security/blog/how-cisos-should-prepare-for-2025/?source=nhimg

As 2025 approaches, CISOs face a rapidly evolving threat landscape where traditional defenses and human-focused security models are no longer sufficient. The rise of non-human identities (NHIs), API keys, service accounts, automation scripts, IoT devices, has transformed security from protecting discrete data assets to securing entire interconnected ecosystems. This shift demands new strategies built on Zero Trust Architecture, proactive compliance management, and robust supply chain governance.

1. Zero Trust Architecture for Humans and Machines

The perimeter is gone. In its place, Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) enforces “never trust, always verify,” “assume breach,” and “least privilege” principles for every entity human or non-human.

Key CISO actions include:

• Inventory all identities with automated discovery tools and secret scanners.

• Apply granular IAM controls, continuous authentication, and regular credential rotation.

• Encrypt data at rest and in transit; enforce secure protocols.

• Integrate NHI security into standard Zero Trust deployments to prevent machine-driven breaches.

2. Compliance as a Strategic Imperative

In 2025, industry-specific compliance mandates will be more complex, and regulators will hold organizations accountable for NHI mismanagement:

• SaaS - SOC 2, GDPR, and CCPA require continuous access governance and encryption.

• FinTech - PCI DSS, AML/KYC, and Open Banking Standards demand network segmentation, monitoring, and token security.

• Healthcare - HIPAA and SaMD guidelines require PHI encryption, identity verification, and secure EHR interoperability.

To keep pace, CISOs must automate compliance monitoring, integrate NHI governance into IAM/PAM frameworks, and leverage AI-based anomaly detection to reduce dwell time on potential breaches.

3. Supply Chain Security & Third-Party Risk Management

Modern supply chain attacks exploit NHIs and machine-to-machine connections, making vendor access a critical vulnerability.
Best practices include:

• Rigorous vendor NHI management vetting before onboarding.

• Continuous monitoring of third-party tokens, API integrations, and external service accounts.

• Automated supply chain scanning for exposed secrets, misconfigurations, and abnormal activity.

The new mantra is not “trust but verify” but “verify, re-verify, and keep verifying”, especially for automated processes and integrations.

Conclusion

By embedding Zero Trust for all identities, automating compliance oversight, and hardening supply chain security, CISOs can shift from reactive defense to proactive enablement. In 2025, security success will be measured not only by the breaches prevented but by the innovations enabled securely, where human and machine identities are governed with equal rigor.