The Problem with Privilege: 3 Dangers of Privileged Access

Every organization needs a secure solution that enables users to access critical information, make changes to the network, and configure security measures when necessary. These tasks are carried out using privileged accounts access all of the organization’s administrative functions, including installation and removal of software, changes to the operating system, sensitive file access, and application configurations. That’s why having an effective privilege access management solution is critical.

Think of a privileged account as a key that unlocks all the doors and grants unlimited access within your system. It serves an important purpose, but it also carries significant risk and makes a prime target for cyberattacks. And that’s what makes a privileged account dangerous. If you don’t know how best to protect these privileged accounts, your risk of a cyber incident dramatically increases.

How Privileged Access Creates Risk

According to the 2021 IBM Security X-Force Insider Threat Report, companies spend in excess of $600,000 on average to recover from a cyber incident caused by an insider threat. Defined as either an accidental or malicious threat that comes from within the organization, an insider threat can cause serious damage and data loss, even if it is unintentional.

The report also found that in every insider threat incident that involved an employee with privileged access, that access contributed to the security incident.

The bottom line is that privileged access represents a clear and present danger if it is not managed well. Click below to learn more about the 3 ways having privilege can contribute to increased security risk.

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