Today, the key feature of almost all security breaches is privilege abuse.
Traditionally, admins have been logging in as "root", earning themselves superuser privilege with authorization for any privileged task over any period of time. Attackers know that when a privileged account is shared by multiple admins, responsibilities get blurred, making it an easy target - and a valuable one.
It's no longer enough to rely on basic Identity and Access Management (IAM) features of provisioning and de-provisioning identities, authenticating them, and authorizing their access to actions and resources. The IAM solutions alone grant unnecessary privileges and permissions, putting the organization at risk by only addressing, 'does an identity have access?' That's why it is essential to integrate Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions - also referred to as Privileged Identity Management (PIM) - with an IAM implementation and address the question, 'should an identity have access?'
PAM solutions work by enforcing the security concept of "least privilege" when it comes to identities, access, and permissions. The solutions maintain this security through two key features: Vaulting and Remote Access and Recording.
VAULTING
Password Vaulting refers to an encrypted Identity Vault, which stores all account passwords, certificates, keys, files, secrets, and privileged accounts.
REMOTE ACCESS AND RECORDING
Remote Access and Recording is a main characteristic of PAM that continuously confirms through reports, monitoring, and auditing that the notion of least privilege is being upheld. Specific helpful features are host-based monitoring and session recording for more granular auditing.
VPN REPLACEMENT
PAM solutions are also essential for their replacement of traditional VPN strategies for secure connections. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are a software that were created to allow users to safely send and receive data by creating a private, exclusive network from a public one. Over the years, VPNs have proven to be a highly functioning solution. However, they have limitations such as extended loading times, complicated configurations for commercial users, and more that make them inefficient. Alternatively, PAM strategies solve those issues with the added benefits of full control over advanced users, monitoring capabilities, and defense against suspicious activity. Overall, PAM solutions are increasingly replacing VPN strategies because of their efficiency in providing more security and simplicity.
WE CAN HELP
The expansion of the digital world means that threats are constantly out there trying to slip through the cracks in your defenses. We understand how frustrating and complicated it can seem to stay up to date with your security. That's why Stack Solutions will work side-by-side with your organization to find and implement the most effective solutions for you. We learn the newest security strategies, like PAM, so that you don't have to. Then, when it's time, we help you adapt and stay out of reach of your attackers.