How We Enhance Your Security with JIT PAM and Password Rotation
Our clients give us the master keys to their IT environments. These “global admin privileges” to their network and cloud systems mean we have access and control over everything.
But what happens if a master key falls into the hands of a hacker?
As you might have guessed, it exposes an organization to security threats, allowing attackers to “make more keys,” disable security policies, add and remove users, and more.
We need that master key access to protect our clients, but not all the time.
This is where just-in-time privileged access management (JIT PAM) and password rotation come into play.
We’ll discuss both terms, how they protect you and specific scenarios where global admin privileges are necessary.
What is Just-in-time Privileged Access Management?
JIT PAM gives us elevated privileges only when needed and for a limited amount of time. Because access is limited to just a few hours, it minimizes the risk of a bad actor stealing that access to cause harm.
We’ve previously discussed how granting local admin access is a security risk because it creates a master key for the computer, giving a user complete control over the device.
Global admin privilege is a master key on a networkwide scale. It affects all employees rather than a single employee.
How JIT PAM Protects You
By using JIT PAM, we can protect your organization in several ways that include:
- Access is granted only when it’s needed for a specific task
- Time limits reduce exposure
- All actions are logged and audited for transparency
- Fewer entry points mean fewer opportunities for attackers
Don’t wait until the next threat hits to improve your company’s security posture. JIT PAM paired with password rotation will limit a bad actor’s attack surface, protecting your important data.
What is Password Rotation?
Password rotation automatically changes the passwords of global admin accounts at set intervals.
Even though the account is only active for a limited time, changing the passwords adds an extra layer of defense.
We rotate passwords daily to mitigate the risks associated with long-standing passwords.
Scenarios Where We May Need Global Admin Privileges
Here are some specific examples of why we might need a temporary elevation to global admin:
- Emergency Incident Response: When a breach or critical outage occurs, we might need immediate access to all tenant settings to isolate threats or reconfigure security policies.
- Initial Configuration or Migration: During onboarding or major transitions, global admin rights are required to configure users, set up compliance policies or integrate third-party tools.
- Role Management: Sometimes, we need to assign or revoke roles for your employees.
- Security Configuration: Tasks like enabling multifactor authentication, configuring Microsoft Secure Score or reviewing audit logs require elevated privileges.
Ready to Implement JIT PAM and Password Rotation?
Don’t wait until the next threat hits to improve your company’s security posture. JIT PAM paired with password rotation will limit a bad actor’s attack surface, protecting your important data.
Contact us to schedule a consultation.
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