Glossary

What is PAM?

Privileged Access Management (PAM) is a discipline in cybersecurity that focuses on monitoring and managing access to valuable resources in an organization. These resources could include systems, infrastructure, and data. PAM aims to protect privileged accounts, which have unrestricted access to all parts of the IT environment. It is considered an essential part of identity and access management (IAM) as privileged accounts pose a major security threat. Uncontrolled access can lead to significant data breaches, causing detrimental effects for the organization.

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Why Does Privileged Access Management Exist?

PAM exists as a safeguard against both internal and external security threats. Unauthorized access to privileged accounts is a common loophole for cyberattacks. With PAM, organizations can protect these accounts by establishing preventive measures and monitoring to identify and address potential risks promptly. By controlling, and limiting access to privileged accounts, an organization can reduce the chance of a data breach.

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Who Needs Privileged Access Management?

PAM is essential for any organization with IT infrastructure that uses privileged accounts. While this often includes large businesses, small and medium-sized businesses also need PAM if they store sensitive or valuable data. Organizations in sectors like healthcare, finance, or government historically hold large amounts of data, making them a prime target for cyberattacks. Therefore, implementing PAM measures is critical for these entities.

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How is PAM Used?

PAM is used to securely manage privileged accounts in several ways. This involves setting up the least privilege access, where users are given minimum levels of access or permissions needed to perform their tasks. PAM also involves monitoring and recording privileged sessions for future audits and forensics in case of a security incident. It can also provide just-in-time access to users, revoking them right after the task is completed.

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PAM and Cloud Infrastructure

With an increasing number of businesses moving to the cloud, the importance of PAM in cloud infrastructure cannot be understated. Cloud service providers often handle critical data and therefore need strong PAM policies. This includes managing access for their DevOps teams, as they often require privileged access to deploy, manage and troubleshoot applications. In this context, PAM can provide robust security, ensuring safe and productive cloud operations.

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

FAQ

1. How does PAM relate to the principle of least privilege access?

The principle of least privilege access means that a user should be given the minimum levels of access necessary to perform their job functions. PAM directly relates to this principle because it is a system designed to provide, control and monitor the privileged access. One of its central roles it to limit the access of users to only the resources they absolutely need, in terms of granularity and ephemerality.

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2. What role does PAM play in IAM (Identity and Access Management)?

While IAM generally deals with ensuring that the right individuals have the right access to the right resources, PAM specifically focuses on privileged accounts, which have the most access or permissions in an organization's system. PAM is effectively a more specific sub-section of IAM, dealing with the highest-risk and most valuable assets and systems in an organization.

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3. How does PAM aid in cybersecurity?

Privileged accounts are often the main targets in cyber attacks as they possess access to critical data. PAM provides a line of defense by restricting, monitoring, and managing privileged access to prevent unauthorized access. It helps in detecting unusual activity related to privileged accounts, such as a pattern of access during odd hours, which may signify a potential security threat.

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4. Why is temporary access important in PAM?

Temporary access is important in PAM to ensure that privileges are only assigned for the duration needed, which reduces the risk of unauthorized access or the misuse of privileges. For instance, if a DevOps team member requires a certain access level to complete a task, that level of access can be granted temporarily and then automatically revoked once the task is completed. This reduces the window of opportunity for the privilege to be abused or misused.

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