Why & What is the NEED to protect Privileged Accounts?

Now that we know what is a Privileged Account, we always got to ask ourselves these questions before we begin to work with any vendor or even to initiate a meeting with Head of Security/Security Manager/Security Lead/Security Director/CISO/CTO:

Note: This is really a sensitive task/responsibility that one must be very careful and needs to pay important attention to it even in a discussion or a presentation about it.

1. Why the need to protect Privileged Accounts?

2. What is the need to protect Privileged Accounts?

3. What is the purpose to protect Privileged Accounts? (an intention or aim; a reason for doing something or for allowing something to happen)

4. What are the benefits by protected Privileged Accounts?

Yes, everyone is doing AND you MUST also do it. But why?

Because your business functionalities, requirements together with all the various departments & employees matters! In addition, your organization cultivates meaningful partnerships with diverse stakeholders both locally and globally.

Hence, the above questions are very important EVEN with the STANDARDIZED Process/Policies/Procedures/Practices provided by Vendor and even by other businesses.

The importance of finding answers to the questions above will allow you to have a clarity and visbility that by adhering to the STANDARDIZED Process/Policies/Procedures/Practices 100%, will it help to resolve the issue?

OR only can adhere to 85% of it, but 15% need further customization/tweaks to be implemented to PROTECT & SAFEGUARD YOUR organization's Privileged Accounts.

Without finding the answers above, tendency to overlook and proceed with the STANDARDIZED Process/Policies/Procedures/Practices can also cause backdoors/loopholes.

Even if you dont follow it, tendency to create;

much larger backdoors,

slow productivity,

unhappy employees,

troublesome & distruptive workflow process,

is higher due to heavy intensive customizations configured with NO clear understanding & requirements.

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What are the answers than? Well, it's more of an explanation and I hope it will benefit in discussions for you in the future.

1. Why the need to protect Privileged Accounts?
   

   1. The need to protect Privileged Accounts should actually be protecting the Privileged Users who are being assigned with such accounts. They are being chosen for a reason to assign them with the Privileged Accounts.
      

   2. The need to protect the Privileged Accounts is also protecting the Privileged Users; not to misuse the account wrongly, not to become targeted users for hackers, not to be taken lightly by their colleagues, (in terms of asking them to do certain tasks because they have the privileges), not to be assigned to it for long duration & remain dormant (as this will lead to account takeover by hackers, also there can be a possibility where the user might use that account for his/her own needs when he/she wants to)
      

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2. What is the need to protect Privileged Accounts?

   
   

   1. There will be a continous increase of Privileged Accounts in terms of non-human indentities as well (service accounts/service prinicpals/API Tokens), not only with users.
      

   2. We can't let them be configured & stored in plain-sight and not doing the needful to protect them accordingly by ensuring robust strong security mechanisms are in place.
      

   3. Most importantly, must not allow everyone to have access to it. Role-Base Access & Principle of Least Privilege must be applied.
      

   4. With threats evolving in sophisticated manner, the need to protect Privileged Accounts is paramount now more than ever, with the inclusion of AI.

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3. What is the purpose to protect Privileged Accounts? (an intention or aim; a reason for doing something or for allowing something to happen)
   

   1. The MAIN purpose to protect Privileged Accounts is to ensure those accounts are not deleted accidentally/intentionally, modified, changed password, Account Takeover by anyone or AD Administrator in Active Directory (AD) itself.

      
      

   2. Next question, is how we do protect the Privileged Accounts in Active Directory, as it's the source of truth.
      

   3. Yes, you got it right! We need the help of the IGA/IAM/PAM Vendors to estabalish connectivity to Active Directory, to retrieve all the Users, Groups and Computers details and begin protecting the Privileged Accounts by implementing security controls, revoking of access, terminating user access (if deem unauthorized), role-base access, approval request, just-in-time elevation request, audit trail, monitoring capabilities with videos/snapshots, comprehensive reporting.

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4. What are the benefits by protecting Privileged Accounts?
   

   1. A peace of mind, a sense of safety, a confidence in security, automation, (less manual work), a boost in producitivty is gradually achieved with continuous improvements and when finally achieved and results are delievered, there will be an increase in ROI, organizations will gain recgonition for successful implementation which leads to increase in buisness revenue and relationships nationally and internationally.
      

   2. Enhanced ways to monitor, track, audit Privileged Accounts and ensure compliance is constantly met.
      

   3. Clear reporting features to provide a comprehensive updates about Privileged Accounts, their creation date, their permissions, their functions, their usage history, who can access this accounts, if they are needed & more. Too many Privileged Accounts can create a wider area for attacks to occur.
      

   4. A standardized way of working, standardized integrations with various applications/systems, standardized policies/process/procedures are attained and able to assist in the fast-past evolvement of IT & Security world together with the users for a seamless, smooth journey.

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