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Security Fundamentals & Crypto · Advanced

Policy Enforcement Point (PEP)

Zero trust component that enables, monitors, and terminates connections between subjects and resources as directed by the PDP.

Definition

The PEP sits in the data path and enforces the decision made by the PDP, such as a gateway, proxy, agent, or firewall. Resources behind the PEP are in an implicit trust zone. Placing PEPs as close as possible to resources minimizes implicit trust.

Example

An identity-aware proxy in front of an internal web app allows the session only after the policy engine approves.

Exam tip

Security+ lists PEP and PDP as zero trust data plane and control plane components respectively.

Related terms