Trust Effect
A conceptual overview of the Trust Effect, how it relates to device Trust Level, and how it affects end users' access to protected resources
- Updated on Sep 11, 2025
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Contributors
Trust Effect Overview
The Trust Effect is the impact of a failed Trust Factor on a device’s Trust Level (i.e., a device’s security posture). The admin sets the impact for each Trust Factor, and it is typically the case that the impact is negative, taking a High Trust Level (i.e., a healthy device posture) down to a Medium Trust Level, a Low Trust Level, or an Always Deny. In some cases, admins may configure a Trust Effect with the value No Effect; this setting is primarily for testing purposes.
Any of the following Trust Effect states can be set on a Trust Factor:
| Trust Effect | Definition |
|---|---|
| Always Deny | If the Trust Factor is not satisfied, the device will be denied authorization into all Cloud Secure Edge (CSE) services. |
| Low | If the Trust Factor is not satisfied, the device’s Trust Level will be set to low. |
| Medium | If the Trust Factor is not satisfied, the device’s Trust level will be set to medium. |
| No Effect | If this factor is not satisfied, it will have no effect on the device’s Trust Level, but will be displayed in the app. This is primarily used for testing purposes. |
Trust Effect Example
Example: An admin sets a Low Trust Level as the Trust Effect for the Firewall Trust Factor. That means that if a firewall is not enabled on the device, the device’s Trust Level will drop from its typical healthy state, High, to Low. But if the firewall is enabled on the device, the Trust Factor will be satisfied, and there will be no negative impact on the device’s Trust Level (i.e., the device’s Trust Level should remain High).
Other possible Trust Effects are shown below:
Notes
- By default, all Trust Factors have an Effect of Low Trust Level (i.e., if a Trust Factor is applied to a device, and the device does not satisfy the Trust Factor requirements, the device’s Trust Level will automatcally drop to Low). Admins can adjust the default Effect of any Trust Factor by editing the Trust Profile.
- If satisfying a particular Trust Factor is mandatory for your purposes, CSE’s recommendation is to set the Trust Effect to Always Deny.
- If testing a new Trust Factor to see the which devices satisfy the Trust Factor without impacting access, CSE’s recommendation is to set the Trust Effect to No Effect. Ensure that the Trust Effect setting is adjusted appropriately after testing.