As cyberattacks grow more frequent and brazen, organizations can no longer ignore their massive vulnerability from within – privileged insiders. Employees and third parties with elevated access privileges provide hackers both remote and physical backdoors to directly access and extract sensitive data. Indeed, over 30% of breaches involve insider threats according to the 2022 Verizon DBIR report.
But by locking down and monitoring privileged access with identity and access management (IAM) controls, companies can hugely mitigate risks of catastrophic breaches. Let‘s explore specifically how Privileged Identity Management (PIM) solutions can help limit insider threat exposure and safeguard your most valuable digital assets.
What Exactly is Privileged Access Management (PAM)?
First, let‘s define privileged access. These are extended permissions granted to specific users authorizing access to business-critical systems like databases, networks, source code, etc. Users typically given privileged access include:
- System, network, cloud administrators
- Application developers
- DBAs
- Service accounts
- C-suite executives
- Support staff (MSPs)
This access enables privileged users to control, configure, and extract data from the most sensitive systems.
Privileged Identity Management (PIM) refers to the people, processes, and technologies focused specifically on protecting, managing, and monitoring all privileged identities.
PIM gives organizations central oversight enforcing least privilege principles – only granting elevated access permissions temporarily to the bare minimum users absolutely requiring it.
Implementing PIM limits the "keys to the kingdom" to authorized eyes only. This significantly reduces the attack surface and insider threat risk.
Sobering Stats on the Insider Threat Landscape
Before exploring PIM solutions, let‘s examine some troubling statistics revealing existing vulnerability:
- 80% of hacking-related data breaches involved leveraging stolen or compromised privileged credentials according to recent BeyondTrust research
- Up to 90% of organizations feel vulnerable to insider attacks based on ObserveIT surveys
- Over 30% of breaches originate from insider threats per 2022 Verizon DBIR report
- Insider threats impacts all major industries from finance, tech, healthcare, retail and beyond
- Average cost of insider attacks is $15.1 million according to IBM‘s Cost of Insider Threats report
Indeed, Privileged users ultimately hold the keys to the most valuable data and systems in the organization. One corrupted admin account gives hackers a perfect backdoor to enter, extract data, and move laterally deeper into infrastructure.
And when privileged credentials leak, most organizations don‘t even realize for over 100 days on average providing ample time for major damage.
Clearly securing and controlling insider access is no longer optional. Implementing PIM presents a crucial line of defense.
Core Capabilities of PIM Solutions
PIM solutions provide integrated suites of technologies and practices purpose-built to get privileged access under control. Core capabilities include:
Central Policy Control
- Set organization-wide least-privilege policies for elevated access
- Enforce separation of duties (SoD) across roles
- Define acceptable use standards through formal policies
For example, security policy may dictate DBAs can only access production databases during change windows after an approved change ticket.
Discovery
- Automatically detect and inventory all privileged accounts scattered across systems, databases, code repositories, etc.
- Feed discovered accounts into access policy engine
Discovery helps teams gain true visibility often revealing far more privileged accounts than originally estimated.
- Securely store and manage access to shared, generic and service accounts
- Automatically rotate passwords and crypto keys
Storing shared credentials in central secured systems helps eliminate unauthorized use spread through manual processes like spreadsheets.
Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)
- Add strong second factors (biometrics, tokens, etc) before granting privileged access sessions
- Prevents compromised credentials from exposure with MFA barrier
95% of breaches could be prevented with MFA according to Microsoft.
Just-In-Time Provisioning
- Automatically grant temporary elevated permissions only when needed for specific tasks
- Revoke permissions immediately after completion
Just-in-time eliminates standing privileged access which is difficult to monitor and easier to exploit.
Session Monitoring
- Record user activity during privileged sessions for detailed forensics
- Detect unusual behavior based on analytics like impossible travel between logins
Full visibility into all administrator activity allows both proactive detection of suspicious patterns and faster incident investigation.
Top Benefits of Adopting a PIM Program
Implementing robust PIM delivers major advantages including:
1. Reduce Risk of Breach & Insider Threat
- Fewer accessible attack pathways with limited privileged credentials
- Changes tied to approved tickets for auditability
- Faster threat detection with detailed session forensics
Breach likelihood directly drops in relation to reducing privileged credentials.
2. Accelerate Audits & Compliance
- Central repository of access policies and credentials
- Detailed activity logging for all admin sessions
- Ensure adherence to growing regulations around access controls
PIM allows faster audits with far less manual documentation and demonstrations required.
3. Improve Operational Visibility
- Discover all distributed privileged accounts across infrastructure
- Identify unnecessary permissions spread across systems
- Detect suspicious anomalies with user behavior analytics
Broad visibility is crucial for regaining control over access permissions.
4. Boost IT Team Productivity
- Automate manual, time-consuming identity administration tasks
- Quickly grant elevated rights just-in-time only when needed
- Eliminate unsecured shared credential stores
IT can focus on higher security priorities rather than mundane administration.
Building a Comprehensive PIM Program
Following best practices guidelines will help optimize your PIM program:
Formalize Policies
Document standards aligned to regulations dictating:
- Strict criteria for obtaining privileged access
- Acceptable use expectations
- Levels matching duties (least privilege)
- Review and renewal procedures
Centralize Infrastructure
Converge management of identities, credentials, and access permissions into integrated platforms with:
- Automated provisioning and deprovisioning
- Shared credential and secrets vaulting
- Robust multi-factor authentication
- Continuous discovery capabilities
Monitor & Enforce Controls
Detect violations and enforce policies through:
- SIEM integration for analytics-driven threat detection
- Periodic access reviews to confirm appropriate permissions
- Session recording and monitoring for detailed activity analysis
- Automated blocking of suspicious sessions
Drive Secure Culture
Cultivate organizational alignment with training on:
- Employee responsibilities managing credentials
- Proper password hygiene
- Approved access channels (no backdoors!)
- Spotting and reporting warning signs
Comparing PIM, PAM, and IAM Solutions
PIM falls alongside two common related solutions – PAM and IAM:
| IAM | PIM | PAM |
|---|---|---|
| Broader identity/access foundation spanning all users, systems | Specialized subset focused exclusively on privileged user management | Fortifies access pathways specifically for admin connections |
| Governs regular and privileged user identities | Extra controls and policies specifically for privileged users | Prevents any unmanaged access to critical infrastructure |
| Includes automated user provisioning, access requestworkflows, directory services | Specialized lifecycle management for privileged accounts like service accounts, shared logins | Records detailed activity trails within live sessions |
| Provides baseline visibility and role-based access across infrastructure | Further reduces attack surface by limiting privileged credentials | Analyzes admin behavior to detect compromised credentials |
While IAM delivers the identity foundation, PIM and PAM offer deeper layers of protection on top governing the highest-risk admin access.
Leading Solutions Securing Privileged Access
Many robust PIM solutions exist spanning commercial and open source options:
Commercial
- Microsoft – Azure AD Privileged Identity Management
- Broadcom – Symantec PAM
- CyberArk – CyberArk Identity
- Deloitte – Deloitte Access Manager
Open Source
- WALLIX – WALLIX Bastion
- Netflix – ConsoleMe
- Hitachi ID – Community Edition
Choosing the right solution depends on your organization‘s size, risk tolerance, availability of in-house expertise, and budget.
Larger, highly regulated entities may prioritize comprehensive extended capabilities from vendors like CyberArk and Broadcom. Smaller companies on tight budgets can still achieve PIM fundamentals with open source options.
Ready to Reign in Your Privileged Insider Risk?
Hopefully this guide has revealed why managing privileged access is no longer optional given today‘s aggressively evolving threat landscape. PIM solutions fill a crucial role mitigating exposure to catastrophic breaches from compromised admin credentials while enabling greater visibility and productivity.
Here are key recommended next steps:
- Audit current privileged identities and access management practices to identify gaps
- Assess infrastructure and team readiness for improved PIM automation
- Select PIM solution(s) aligning to organizational maturity and budget
- Pilot first phase focusing on mission-critical applications or databases
- Expand PIM policies and technical controls across infrastructure
What aspects of privileged access management present the biggest challenges in your organization? What solutions are you considering to secure your admin credentials? I welcome hearing your questions and feedback below!
