This month marks the 25th anniversary of the famous “On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog” cartoon appearing in The New Yorker. Oh, how true that was, and still is, a quarter century later. Chances are, artist Peter Steiner had no idea how prescient his drawing was. We are indeed in the Internet dog days, of identity access management (IAM) and PAM at least.
In the cybersecurity industry, we often talk about the ‘Insider Threat’ that organizations face in security their most critical data and assets. From manufacturing to healthcare, every business encounters the challenge of both preventing and detecting these risks. But what exactly is Insider Threat? What does it mean for business?
Previously, we have focused on the security issues raised by
privileged users
. As the people who can access the administrative back ends of critical systems, privileged users represent a potential threat vector. After all, they can get into confidential data, account settings, and system configurations. Equally or even more important to security than privileged users, however, is the concept of the privileged account. A privileged account is the actual mechanism by which a privileged user gains access to administrative controls. Having a
privileged account security
solution in place is thus an essential practice for the maintenance of a robust security posture.
IT security has never been so important, as hacks and data breaches are at an all-time high (and climbing). When it comes to the security of your data and infrastructure, visibility and control are paramount. You can put in place all manner of corporate policies and password rules, but oversight of administrator actions and the ability to review past activity are paramount for both peace of mind and compliance with stringent cybersecurity regulations.
Despite the globally-increasing threat of cyber attack, and what feels like near-daily major news reports of data breaches in our most sensitive industries, many companies still under-value cybersecurity. While the data breach fatigue is real, organizations from every sector need to ramp up their IT security practices.
