Privileged access management

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Privileged Access Management (PAM) is a type of identity management and branch of cybersecurity that focuses on the control, monitoring, and protection of privileged accounts within an organization. Accounts with privileged status grant users enhanced permissions, making them prime targets for attackers due to their extensive access to vital systems and sensitive data. [1]

Contents

Implementation and models

PAM can be implemented as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution or an on-premises offering, providing organizations with the flexibility to choose the model that best fits their needs. The objective is to safeguard, regulate, observe, examine, and manage privileged access across diverse environments and platforms. PAM solutions adopt Zero Trust and least-privilege frameworks, guaranteeing that users receive only the essential computer access control needed for their roles, thereby minimizing the likelihood of unauthorized entry or security incidents.

PAM focuses on securing and overseeing privileged accounts to prevent unauthorized access to critical resources, while SNMP is used for monitoring and managing network devices. These two components can work together to enhance overall network security by ensuring that SNMP configurations and access controls are protected and only accessible to authorized personnel, thus safeguarding against potential security breaches and unauthorized modifications to network settings. [2] [3]

In July 2023, the Keeper Security survey revealed that only 43% of SMBs have deployed Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions, significantly lower than other leading security technologies such as network, email, endpoint security, and SIEM tools, which all exceed 75% deployment. [4]

Key features

PAM solutions play a crucial role in reducing security vulnerabilities, adhering to information security standards, and protecting an organization's IT infrastructure. They establish a comprehensive system for handling privileged accounts, encompassing the gathering, safeguarding, administration, verification, documentation, and examination of privileged access: [5]

According to Security-First Compliance for Small Businesses book the best practices for managing privileged access (PAM) encompass:

See also

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References

  1. Farahmand, Homan (2022-04-20). "Why and How to Prioritize Privileged Access Management".
  2. "Using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) with CA PAM". knowledge.broadcom.com. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  3. "What Is Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)? Is It Secure?". Fortinet. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  4. Writer, Guru (2023-07-12). "New research finds less than half of SMBs use Privileged Access Management - IT Security Guru" . Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  5. Hsu, Vincent; Muppidi, Sridhar; Patil, Sandeep R.; Jadhav, Kanad; Kumar, Sumit; Singhai, Nishant; Redbooks, I. B. M. (2021-01-08). Privileged Access Management for Secure Storage Administration: IBM Spectrum Scale with IBM Security Verify Privilege Vault. IBM Redbooks. ISBN   978-0-7384-5931-8.
  6. Hsu, Vincent; Muppidi, Sridhar; Patil, Sandeep R.; Jadhav, Kanad; Kumar, Sumit; Singhai, Nishant; Redbooks, I. B. M. (2021-01-08). Privileged Access Management for Secure Storage Administration: IBM Spectrum Scale with IBM Security Verify Privilege Vault. IBM Redbooks. ISBN   978-0-7384-5931-8.
  7. Ltd, Cybellium. Mastering PAM. Cybellium Ltd. ISBN   979-8-8676-5348-4.
  8. "The Privileged Access Suite for Unix" (PDF). dell. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  9. Haber, Morey J. (2020-06-13). Privileged Attack Vectors: Building Effective Cyber-Defense Strategies to Protect Organizations. Apress. ISBN   978-1-4842-5914-6.
  10. "User Access Management (UAM) Explained | ConnectWise". screenconnect.connectwise.com. 2024-01-03. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  11. Walsh, Karen (2023-08-17). Security-First Compliance for Small Businesses. CRC Press. ISBN   978-1-000-92608-8.