* [Blog](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog)
* [Palo Alto Networks](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/corporate/)
* [Cybersecurity](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/cybersecurity-2/)
* Trust Is a Vulnerability

# Trust Is a Vulnerability

[](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fblog%2F2017%2F11%2Ftrust-is-a-vulnerability%2F)  
[](https://twitter.com/share?text=Trust+Is+a+Vulnerability&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fblog%2F2017%2F11%2Ftrust-is-a-vulnerability%2F)  
[](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fblog%2F2017%2F11%2Ftrust-is-a-vulnerability%2F&title=Trust+Is+a+Vulnerability&summary=&source=)  
[](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com//www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2017/11/trust-is-a-vulnerability/&ts=markdown)  
\[\](mailto:?subject=Trust Is a Vulnerability)  
Link copied  
By [John Kindervag](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/author/john-kindervag/?ts=markdown "Posts by John Kindervag")  
Nov 01, 2017  
2 minutes  
[Cybersecurity](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/cybersecurity-2/?ts=markdown)  
[Thought Bubble with John Kindervag](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/tag/thought-bubble-with-john-kindervag/?ts=markdown)

Recently, a friend of mine posted a picture on LinkedIn of a T-shirt he had made, featuring the quote *"Trust is a vulnerability."* This post went somewhat viral, which made it clear to me that people are really understanding the essence of Zero Trust.

![Trust isVulnerability](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Trust-isVulnerability.png)Early on when I first started looking at the fundamental problems in network security, I realized that trust was the thing people were taking advantage of and exploiting. Trust is no different from a vulnerability in Apache Struts. It's something we must address in our organizations and digital systems as much as any software vulnerability. And if we've learned anything from recent data breaches, it's that vulnerabilities are what are exploited, and all vulnerabilities must be mitigated.

So why do we have this problem with trust in the first place? It's because we have anthropomorphized the network with the idea that it's a person who is on the network, when in fact it is not. People are not on the network, packets are. Packets are essentially just big bundles of photons or electrons that move across some kind of cable. Why would we ever provide extra privilege to a set of electrical impulses based upon the physical location to which they have just moved?

All data breaches are, ultimately, breaches of trust. That's why names like Snowden and Manning should give every cybersecurity professional the shivers -- because both of those data breaches were exactly that: breaches of trust. Each attacker exploited their status as a trusted user to access data they didn't actually need to do their job. Because we have confused the trustworthiness of human beings with the trustworthiness of packets, we have created this problem ourselves.

However, I'm not saying that people aren't trustworthy. I'm saying that people are not packets.

*** ** * ** ***

## Related Blogs

### [Cybersecurity](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/cybersecurity-2/?ts=markdown), [Secure the Enterprise](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/secure-the-enterprise/?ts=markdown)

[#### All Layers Are Not Created Equal](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2019/05/network-layers-not-created-equal/)

### [Cybersecurity](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/cybersecurity-2/?ts=markdown), [Points of View](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/points-of-view/?ts=markdown), [Secure the Enterprise](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/secure-the-enterprise/?ts=markdown)

[#### Define a Protect Surface to Massively Reduce Your Attack Surface](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2018/09/define-protect-surface-massively-reduce-attack-surface/)

### [Cybersecurity](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/cybersecurity-2/?ts=markdown), [Points of View](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/points-of-view/?ts=markdown), [Secure the Enterprise](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/secure-the-enterprise/?ts=markdown)

[#### Clarifying What Zero Trust Is -- and Is Not](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2018/08/clarifying-zero-trust-not/)

### [AI Governance](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/ai-governance/?ts=markdown), [AI Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/ai-security/?ts=markdown), [Cybersecurity](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/cybersecurity-2/?ts=markdown), [Partners](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/partners/?ts=markdown)

[#### AI, Quantum Computing and Other Emerging Risks](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2025/10/ai-quantum-computing-emerging-risks/)

### [AI and Cybersecurity](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/security-operations/category/ai-and-cybersecurity/?ts=markdown), [AI Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/ai-security/?ts=markdown), [Cybersecurity](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/cybersecurity-2/?ts=markdown), [Data Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/data-security/?ts=markdown), [Incident Response](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/incident-response/?ts=markdown), [Reports](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/reports/?ts=markdown), [Unit 42](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/unit42/?ts=markdown)

[#### The Case for Multidomain Visibility](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2025/10/case-for-multidomain-visibility/)

### [AI Governance](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/ai-governance/?ts=markdown), [Cybersecurity](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/cybersecurity-2/?ts=markdown), [Government](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/government/?ts=markdown), [Public Sector](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/public-sector/?ts=markdown)

[#### Improving National Security Through Secure AI](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2025/05/improving-national-security-through-secure-ai/)

### Subscribe to the Blog!

Sign up to receive must-read articles, Playbooks of the Week, new feature announcements, and more.
![spinner](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/wp-content/themes/panwblog2023/dist/images/ajax-loader.gif) Sign up  
Please enter a valid email.  
By submitting this form, you agree to our [Terms of Use](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/terms-of-use?ts=markdown) and acknowledge our [Privacy Statement](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/privacy?ts=markdown). Please look for a confirmation email from us. If you don't receive it in the next 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.  
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply.  
{#footer} {#footer}

## Products and Services

* [AI-Powered Network Security Platform](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security?ts=markdown)

* [Secure AI by Design](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/precision-ai-security/secure-ai-by-design?ts=markdown)

* [Prisma AIRS](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-ai-runtime-security?ts=markdown)

* [AI Access Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/ai-access-security?ts=markdown)

* [Cloud Delivered Security Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/security-subscriptions?ts=markdown)

* [Advanced Threat Prevention](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-threat-prevention?ts=markdown)

* [Advanced URL Filtering](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-url-filtering?ts=markdown)

* [Advanced WildFire](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-wildfire?ts=markdown)

* [Advanced DNS Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-dns-security?ts=markdown)

* [Enterprise Data Loss Prevention](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/enterprise-data-loss-prevention?ts=markdown)

* [Enterprise IoT Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/enterprise-device-security?ts=markdown)

* [Medical IoT Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/medical-device-security?ts=markdown)

* [Industrial OT Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/medical-device-security?ts=markdown)

* [SaaS Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/saas-security?ts=markdown)

* [Next-Generation Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/next-generation-firewall?ts=markdown)

* [Hardware Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/hardware-firewall-innovations?ts=markdown)

* [Software Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/software-firewalls?ts=markdown)

* [Strata Cloud Manager](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/strata-cloud-manager?ts=markdown)

* [SD-WAN for NGFW](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/sd-wan-subscription?ts=markdown)

* [PAN-OS](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/pan-os?ts=markdown)

* [Panorama](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/panorama?ts=markdown)

* [Secure Access Service Edge](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase?ts=markdown)

* [Prisma SASE](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase?ts=markdown)

* [Application Acceleration](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/app-acceleration?ts=markdown)

* [Autonomous Digital Experience Management](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/adem?ts=markdown)

* [Enterprise DLP](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/enterprise-data-loss-prevention?ts=markdown)

* [Prisma Access](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/access?ts=markdown)

* [Prisma Browser](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/prisma-browser?ts=markdown)

* [Prisma SD-WAN](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/sd-wan?ts=markdown)

* [Remote Browser Isolation](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/remote-browser-isolation?ts=markdown)

* [SaaS Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/saas-security?ts=markdown)

* [AI-Driven Security Operations Platform](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex?ts=markdown)

* [Cloud Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud?ts=markdown)

* [Cortex Cloud](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud?ts=markdown)

* [Application Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/application-security?ts=markdown)

* [Cloud Posture Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/cloud-posture-security?ts=markdown)

* [Cloud Runtime Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/runtime-security?ts=markdown)

* [Prisma Cloud](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/cloud?ts=markdown)

* [AI-Driven SOC](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex?ts=markdown)

* [Cortex XSIAM](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xsiam?ts=markdown)

* [Cortex XDR](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xdr?ts=markdown)

* [Cortex XSOAR](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xsoar?ts=markdown)

* [Cortex Xpanse](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xpanse?ts=markdown)

* [Unit 42 Managed Detection \& Response](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/managed-detection-and-response?ts=markdown)

* [Managed XSIAM](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/managed-xsiam?ts=markdown)

* [Threat Intel and Incident Response Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42?ts=markdown)

* [Proactive Assessments](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/assess?ts=markdown)

* [Incident Response](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/respond?ts=markdown)

* [Transform Your Security Strategy](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/transform?ts=markdown)

* [Discover Threat Intelligence](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/threat-intelligence-partners?ts=markdown)

## Company

* [About Us](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us?ts=markdown)
* [Careers](https://jobs.paloaltonetworks.com/en/)
* [Contact Us](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/contact-sales?ts=markdown)
* [Corporate Responsibility](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility?ts=markdown)
* [Customers](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/customers?ts=markdown)
* [Investor Relations](https://investors.paloaltonetworks.com/)
* [Location](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us/locations?ts=markdown)
* [Newsroom](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/newsroom?ts=markdown)

## Popular Links

* [Blog](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/?ts=markdown)
* [Communities](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/communities?ts=markdown)
* [Content Library](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/resources?ts=markdown)
* [Cyberpedia](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cyberpedia?ts=markdown)
* [Event Center](https://events.paloaltonetworks.com/)
* [Manage Email Preferences](https://start.paloaltonetworks.com/preference-center)
* [Products A-Z](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/products/products-a-z?ts=markdown)
* [Product Certifications](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/trust-center/compliance?ts=markdown)
* [Report a Vulnerability](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/security-disclosure?ts=markdown)
* [Sitemap](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sitemap?ts=markdown)
* [Tech Docs](https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/)
* [Unit 42](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/)
* [Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information](https://panwedd.exterro.net/portal/dsar.htm?target=panwedd)
  ![PAN logo](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/pan-logo-dark.svg)
* [Privacy](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/privacy?ts=markdown)
* [Trust Center](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/trust-center?ts=markdown)
* [Terms of Use](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/terms-of-use?ts=markdown)
* [Documents](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal?ts=markdown)

Copyright © 2026 Palo Alto Networks. All Rights Reserved

* [![Youtube](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/youtube-black.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/user/paloaltonetworks)
* [![Podcast](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/images/icons/podcast.svg)](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/podcasts/threat-vector?ts=markdown)
* [![Facebook](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/facebook-black.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/PaloAltoNetworks/)
* [![LinkedIn](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/linkedin-black.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/palo-alto-networks)
* [![Twitter](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/twitter-x-black.svg)](https://twitter.com/PaloAltoNtwks)
* EN  
  Select your language