Privileged access management (PAM) — also referred to as privileged account management — is the top cybersecurity project for chief information security officers (CISOs), according to Gartner. Why? Because privileged access carries significant risk, and all organizations deal with privileged, administrative or other sensitive accounts. These accounts are primary targets for attackers and need to be managed separately and with specific considerations.
Although the risks associated with privileged accounts are known, few organizations truly understand just how exposed they are. Implementing a PAM solution is a no-brainer, but these tools work best when the full depth and breadth of the systems they are supposed to protect are known.
Privileged Accounts, Where Are You?
Most organizations have no idea how many privileged accounts they have or where they are located. To truly know what privileged accounts exist in your environment, you need a discovery feature. Discovery is a crucial element of PAM that automatically scans for privileged credentials and alerts you when unexpected accounts are found.
Discovery helps organizations take the first step toward protecting privileged accounts. If you don’t know where privileged accounts are, your network could be riddled with hidden backdoor accounts — accounts that have gotten around normal security measures to gain high-level user access. A backdoor allows users to bypass proper controls and audits and can be used to steal confidential data, install malware and hijack devices. Automatic scanning for privileged credentials alerts you when unexpected accounts like these are found.
There are several different types of privileged accounts with varying degrees of power, which is why they often go overlooked by security and IT teams. W ..
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