Cyberattacks often target users with high-level access—those who can change systems, view sensitive data, or control important parts of the network. PAM lowers the risks by enforcing strict controls over these access points. In this blog, we’ll explain what PAM is, how it works and how it boosts your security.
What Is Privileged Access Management (PAM) and Why Do We Need It?
Privileged Access Management (PAM) is a security approach that focuses on controlling and monitoring the use of high-level accounts within a company. These accounts are used by system administrators, IT staff, and other trusted employees who need special permissions to perform important tasks.
The challenge with privileged access is that it gives users broad control over the system. If a cybercriminal gains access to one of these accounts, they could steal sensitive data, change critical systems, or disrupt operations. PAM helps reduce this risk by adding stricter control over who can use these accounts and how they are managed.
So, why do we need PAM? Here are a few key reasons:
Reduce Insider Threats:
While external cyberattacks are a big concern, insider threats—whether intentional or accidental—can be just as dangerous. PAM helps reduce the risk by limiting insiders’ access to important systems. This way, the potential damage they can cause is much smaller.
Prevent Unauthorized Access:
By managing and monitoring privileged access, organizations can stop unauthorized users from taking control of sensitive parts of their network. This ensures better security and reduces the risk of breaches.
Improve Compliance:
Many industries face strict regulations that require organizations to monitor and control access to sensitive data. With Privileged Access Management (PAM), businesses can easily meet these requirements and avoid expensive fines or penalties.
Minimize the Attack Surface:
Reducing the number of users with elevated privileges helps limit potential entry points for attackers. As a result, your overall security risk drops significantly.
What Are Privileges and How Are They Created?
In cybersecurity, privileges are the rights and permissions that let users perform certain actions in a system. These can range from simple tasks, like viewing files, to more complex ones, like changing system settings or deleting data.
When setting up a user account, it’s given access to specific systems, files, or applications, which defines what the user can do. For example, an HR employee can view sensitive personnel files, while a system administrator can make important changes to the organization’s network. This ensures that users only have access based on their job roles.
There are two main types of privileges:
Standard Privileges:
Most users within an organization are assigned standard privileges. These allow them to perform the tasks necessary for their job but without giving them elevated access to critical systems.
Privileged Accounts:
These are accounts with elevated privileges, granting users the ability to perform administrative or highly sensitive tasks. These accounts require special attention and are the primary focus of PAM.
Types of Privileged Access Management Solutions
There are various types of PAM solutions designed to address different aspects of privileged access:
Password Vaulting:
A common feature of privileged access management tools is password vaulting, where privileged account credentials are stored in a secure, encrypted location. These credentials are only accessible by authorized users and every access request is logged for audit purposes.
Session Monitoring:
PAM solutions often include session monitoring, where activities carried out by privileged users are recorded and monitored in real time. This provides transparency and helps detect any suspicious behavior during a privileged session.
Just-in-Time Access:
Instead of providing permanent privileged access, some PAM solutions offer just-in-time access. This means that elevated privileges are granted only for the specific time frame needed to perform a task, reducing the window of opportunity for misuse.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):
PAM solutions can integrate with MFA to ensure that users with privileged access undergo additional layers of authentication before accessing critical systems.
Privileged Account Discovery:
Many organizations are unaware of all the privileged accounts that exist within their network. PAM tools can automatically discover and inventory these accounts, allowing for better control and monitoring.
How Privileged Access Management Software Works
Privileged access management software provides centralized control over who has access to privileged accounts and how they can use them. The software enforces policies, monitors sessions and stores passwords securely. Here’s a breakdown of how PAM software typically works:
User Authentication:
Before a privileged user can access sensitive systems, they must authenticate their identity, often using multi-factor authentication to ensure that the user is who they claim to be.
Access Approval:
After authentication, we restrict the user’s access according to predefined policies. For example, these policies may allow time-based access, just-in-time privileges, or access to specific systems only. This ensures that users have only the permissions they need when they need them.
Activity Monitoring:
During the session, the PAM software actively monitors the user’s actions. It records which files they access, tracks any changes made and identifies any suspicious behavior. This real-time oversight helps ensure that any potential threats are caught quickly.
Audit Logs:
All activity performed by privileged users is logged, allowing organizations to maintain an audit trail for compliance purposes and to investigate any potential incidents.
Revoking Access:
After the task is complete, privileged access is revoked, ensuring that users do not have ongoing elevated permissions that could be misused in the future.
Benefits of Privileged Access Management Solutions
Implementing a privileged access management solution offers numerous benefits, helping organizations to strengthen their security posture and minimize risks. Here are some of the key advantages:
Enhanced Security:
PAM solutions lower the risk of internal and external threats by controlling access to sensitive systems. If a privileged account gets compromised, attackers still have to deal with extra barriers like session monitoring and multi-factor authentication, making it harder for them to do any damage.
Improved Compliance:
Many industries require organizations to track and monitor privileged access to sensitive data. Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions make it easier to follow regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS. They provide detailed audit logs and reports, helping businesses meet legal requirements and protect valuable information. This way, companies can stay compliant while keeping their data secure.
Reduced Insider Threats:
Insider threats are a big concern for businesses. Privileged Access Management (PAM) helps reduce the damage insiders can cause. It ensures that only approved users have access to important accounts, which strengthens security. Plus, it keeps a close eye on user activities, so organizations can act fast if any suspicious behavior shows up.
Streamlined Management:
PAM tools provide a central dashboard, making it easy for IT teams to manage all privileged accounts. This simplifies enforcing policies, managing passwords and reviewing session activity. With this control, teams can better secure sensitive access and strengthen overall security.
Minimized Attack Surface:
By limiting the number of users with permanent high-level access, PAM reduces the potential entry points for cybercriminals. This approach strengthens your organization’s security and makes it harder for attackers to break in.
Real-Time Threat Detection:
Session monitoring and auditing features help detect threats in real time, so security teams can quickly respond to issues before they get worse. By keeping an eye on user activities, teams can spot problems early and make sure everyone stays safe.
Increased Productivity:
PAM solutions can automate routine tasks, such as password rotation and session monitoring, allowing IT teams to focus on higher-value work.
Customer Testimonial
“Before Hyper Secure’s Privileged Access Management, we struggled with controlling access to sensitive data. Their solution gave us the ability to monitor and manage privileged accounts effectively. The real-time alerts and session recording features helped us prevent unauthorized access and ensure compliance. It has greatly improved our security, and we now have full control over who accesses critical systems.”
— CISO, Global Manufacturing Company
FAQs
1. What is Privileged Access Management (PAM)?
Privileged Access Management (PAM) controls and monitors access to critical systems and sensitive data by users with elevated privileges to reduce the risk of security breaches.
2. How does Hyper Secure’s PAM improve security?
It limits access to critical systems, monitors privileged sessions, and provides real-time alerts for unauthorized actions, ensuring strict control over sensitive data.
3. Can PAM be customized for specific roles in our organization?
Yes, Hyper Secure’s PAM allows role-based access controls, ensuring only authorized personnel have the necessary access based on their roles.
4. How does PAM help with compliance?
Hyper Secure’s PAM provides audit trails, session recordings, and activity logs, helping businesses meet regulatory compliance requirements by tracking and managing privileged access.
5. Is it possible to monitor privileged sessions in real-time?
Yes, Hyper Secure’s PAM offers real-time monitoring and session recording, allowing you to oversee privileged activity as it happens and respond to any potential threats.
Conclusion
In today’s world of cybersecurity, managing privileged access is key to reducing risks and boosting your organization’s security. Cybercriminals often target privileged accounts, so having a strong Privileged Access Management (PAM) solution is critical. This helps you control, monitor and protect these important accounts.
Using PAM tools allows organizations to lower insider threats, block unauthorized access and meet industry regulations. As data breaches and cyberattacks become more advanced, PAM serves as a vital defense, protecting your organization’s most valuable data.
At Hyper Secure, we help businesses implement customized PAM solutions. Whether you’re looking to improve security or meet compliance standards, our team is here to support you in protecting your privileged accounts.