Privileged access management (PAM) is a security practice aimed at reducing risks from privileged accounts within an organization’s network and systems. Accounts with administrator rights, high-level application and system permissions, or extensive access are potential security threats due to their elevated privileges. By implementing additional security measures on these accounts, organizations can better control and mitigate the associated risks.

Privileged Access Management (PAM) operates on the principle of least privilege, which dictates that users, applications, and systems should be granted only the permissions necessary to perform their specific roles. Even users with valid reasons for privileged access, such as system and network administrators, should use these elevated accounts solely for tasks that require such access.

Once least privilege is enforced, PAM’s focus shifts to safeguarding privileged accounts against unauthorized access and misuse. This involves implementing robust authentication methods for these accounts and conducting continuous monitoring to ensure compliance with organizational policies, preventing any potential misuse or abuse of elevated privileges.

Privileged Access Management (PAM) assists organizations in managing identities, making it more challenging for threat actors to infiltrate the network and gain access to privileged accounts. PAM enhances the security of privileged groups responsible for controlling access to domain-joined computers and the applications hosted on them, adding an essential layer of protection.

Implementing Privileged Access Management (PAM) offers multiple advantages for an organization, including:

• Smaller Attack Surface: Account takeover is a common tactic among cybercriminals. By limiting and securing privileged accounts, organizations make it harder for attackers to gain the access they need to exploit systems.
• Reduced Lateral Movement: Attackers often leverage privileged accounts to move laterally within a network and access valuable data and systems. PAM helps organizations detect and prevent such lateral movement, enhancing network security.
• Improved Visibility: Privileged accounts have the capability to perform critical actions and can be leveraged in attacks. Monitoring these accounts provides crucial insight into how systems are used, helping to identify suspicious activities.
• Simplified Compliance: Preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information is a core objective of data privacy regulations. PAM aids in achieving compliance by providing robust access controls and monitoring capabilities.

Privileged Access Management (PAM) tools are software solutions developed to manage and secure an organization’s privileged accounts and access. These tools help organizations reduce security risks by preventing unauthorized access and minimizing the potential misuse of privileged accounts.

Here are the steps in the Privileged Access Management (PAM):

1. Define: Identify and categorize privileged accounts. Since different business functions depend on varying levels of data, systems, and access, it's essential to understand and classify privileged accounts based on their roles and required access.

2. Discover: Locate all privileged accounts across the organization. This step ensures that all accounts with elevated access are accounted for, reducing the risk of unmanaged or "orphaned" accounts.

3. Manage and Protect: Implement controls to secure and manage privileged accounts. This includes setting policies, enforcing access controls, and applying strong authentication methods to protect these accounts from unauthorized access.