As part of a broader effort to improve government cybersecurity, the Biden administration aims to implement a zero-trust security model across the federal government by 2026. Executive Order 14028 has significant implications for any federal contractor or downstream partner, who will be faced with understanding and meeting complex and stringent compliance requirements.

Understanding Zero Trust

Zero trust is a security model that assumes no device, user, or application is trusted by default. Instead, all resource access is verified and authorized based on each request’s identity, security posture, and risk level.

  • Zero trust security is based on the following principles:
    Identity is the new perimeter. Identity is the primary factor determining who can access specific resources. All devices and applications must be authenticated and authorized with each request for access before any resources are made available.
  • Verification is key. In a zero-trust model, access to resources is based on verifying each criterion of a session’s identity. This verification is essential for ensuring all access to applications and sensitive data is authorized.
  • Continuous monitoring and validation. A network is only as secure as its last packet. To ensure ongoing security, all devices and applications must be continuously monitored and validated. This helps identify compromised users, devices, or applications in real time, limiting risk and potential damage.

The Challenges of Implementing Zero Trust

Zero trust is a proven concept that can help protect sensitive data and applications from risks in an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape. However, implementing zero trust across the federal government, its contractors, and their partners will be challenging.

The government has an enormous network of systems, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution for zero trust. More than 400 federal agencies will have to develop and implement zero-trust strategies tailored to their specific needs.

Zero Trust: What It Means for Contractors

The 2026 zero-trust security requirements for contractors working for federal agencies are a significant change from current regulations. To comply with federal 2026 zero trust security policies, a contractor or their downstream partners will need to:

  • Implement zero-trust security principles and practices.
  • Authorize and authenticate access to resources.
  • Monitor and validate each access.
  • Continuously assess the security posture of their systems.
  • Respond to and remediate security incidents.

Contractors will need to carry out zero-trust security practices by verifying the identity of all users, devices, and applications before granting access to resources.

They’ll be required to encrypt sensitive data, enforce strong passwords and multi-factor authentication, implement network segmentation, and use intrusion detection and prevention systems.

Furthermore, they’ll be required to use a zero-trust access control system, default to a “least privileged” resource access basis, continuously log and monitor all access to resources, and identify and respond to all anomalous activity.

This brings a significant cybersecurity burden, with the need for regular security audits, log management, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing.

Adopting a Zero-Trust Mindset

When implementing zero-trust security, there’s no such thing as “zero trust in a box.” Instead, organizations must adopt a new mindset around zero trust beyond simply implementing the technology.

This requires understanding the principles of zero-trust security and ensuring all users know and follow the zero-trust security protocols correctly and on secure devices.

The Benefits of the Zero Trust Model

As the government advances its zero-trust security push for 2026, federal contractors and their downstream partners need to develop timely compliance strategies. While this brings significant challenges, the zero-trust model is not without benefits.

With zero-trust’s improved security posture, organizations increase compliance with regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA, and zero-trust can represent cost savings by eliminating reliance on traditional security infrastructure.

Confronting the Demands of the Zero Trust Model

The Biden Administration’s 2026 goal of implementing the zero-trust security model throughout the federal government is a significant challenge for federal contractors and downstream partners. Despite the complexity of the task, the zero-trust model presents organizations with the opportunity for improved security, cost savings, and a better user experience.
Even without these benefits, these requirements are not optional. Organizations conducting business with a federal agency must begin implementing programs to adopt zero-trust now to ensure they meet the 2026 deadline.