Privileged Access Management (PAM): Taming Your Most Dangerous Accounts

Imagine a master key that can open every door, disable every alarm, and override every system in your organization.

Now imagine that key is copied hundreds of times, handed out to dozens of people, and often left lying around unattended.

This isn’t a thought experiment. This is the reality of privileged access in most companies. These accounts—Domain Admins, root users, SaaS administrators—are the “keys to the kingdom.” And they are the primary target for every sophisticated cyberattack.

A breach of a regular user account is a problem. A breach of a privileged account is a catastrophe.

Privileged Access Management (PAM) is the discipline of securing, controlling, and monitoring these powerful accounts. It’s not just a tool; it’s a critical security framework. This guide will show you why it’s non-negotiable and how to implement it correctly.

What Are Privileged Accounts? (They’re Everywhere)

A privileged account is any credential that provides elevated capabilities beyond a standard user. This includes:

• Local Administrative Accounts: On servers, workstations, and network devices.
• Domain Administrative Accounts: Control over your entire Active Directory.
• System Accounts: Used by applications and services to interact with the OS.
• Emergency Accounts: “Break-glass” accounts for emergency access.
• Cloud Platform Accounts: AWS Root User, Azure Global Administrators, GCP Owners.
• SaaS Administrator Accounts: Admin consoles for Office 365, Salesforce, Slack, etc.

Why PAM is Your #1 Security Priority

The stats don’t lie. According to Verizon’s DBIR, over 80% of breaches involve privileged credentials. Here’s why:

1. The Primary Attack Vector: Attackers phish, steal, or brute-force privileged credentials to gain an initial foothold.
2. Lateral Movement: Once inside, they use these credentials to move undetected across your network, accessing more critical systems.
3. Business Impact: A compromised admin account can lead to data destruction (ransomware), data exfiltration, system hijacking, and full business compromise.

The Core Pillars of a Robust PAM Strategy

A mature PAM program isn’t just buying a password vault. It’s built on four key pillars.

1. Discover & Inventory

You can’t protect what you don’t know exists.

• Action: Use discovery tools to scan your network, cloud environments, and SaaS apps to find and catalog every privileged account. This includes default and hard-coded credentials in applications.
• Tooling: Native tools like AWS IAM, Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM), or dedicated PAM solutions.

2. Secure & Protect (The Password Vault)

This is the heart of PAM—removing passwords from human hands.

• Action: Eliminate shared and static passwords. Store all privileged credentials in a secure, encrypted vault. The vault automatically rotates passwords after each use or on a scheduled basis.
• How it works: An admin doesn’t know the password. They request access from the vault, which checks them out, rotates the password, and then checks it back in when done.
• Benefit: This breaks the attack chain. Even if a credential is stolen, it’s useless because it’s been rotated.

3. Control & Monitor (Session Management)

Trust, but verify. Every action taken with privilege must be recorded.

• Action: For remote sessions (RDP, SSH, etc.), route connections through a PAM proxy. This allows you to:
  • Monitor: Record all session activity (video and keystroke logs).
  • Control: Implement just-in-time access approval workflows.
  • Intervene: Terminate a malicious or suspicious session in real-time.
• Benefit: Provides a definitive audit trail for compliance and allows SOC analysts to investigate incidents with perfect hindsight.

4. Enforce Least Privilege (Just-In-Time Access)

This is the evolution of PAM. Why have always-on admin rights when you only need them for 10 minutes a week?

• Action: Implement Just-In-Time (JIT) privilege elevation. Users have zero standing privileges and must request elevated access for a specific task and a limited time window.
• How it works: Integrate with your ticketing system or use a self-service portal. Access is automatically revoked after the time expires.
• Benefit: Drastically reduces the attack surface by making privileged access temporary and granular.

Implementing PAM: A Phased Approach

Trying to do everything at once will fail. Follow this journey:

1. Phase 1: Quick Wins: Start by securing your most critical assets. Vault the credentials for your domain admins, network gear, and cloud root accounts. Enforce MFA for all admin access.
2. Phase 2: Expand Control: Onboard other server and database admin accounts into the vault. Begin session monitoring for high-risk systems.
3. Phase 3: Mature the Program: Implement JIT access for all privileged tasks. Integrate PAM with your ITSM and SIEM systems for automated workflows and alerting.

Choosing a PAM Tool: What to Look For

The market has options, from enterprise suites to built-in cloud tools. Key features to demand:

• Credential Vaulting & Rotation: Non-negotiable.
• Session Monitoring & Recording: For RDP, SSH, and web sessions.
• JIT Access & Workflow Orchestration: For request-and-approval processes.
• Integration: With your directory (AD, Azure AD), SIEM, and ticketing systems.
• Deployment Options: On-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid.

The Bottom Line: PAM is a Business Imperative

PAM isn’t an IT project; it’s a business-level security control. The cost of implementing a PAM solution is a fraction of the cost of a breach caused by compromised credentials.

It’s about moving from a reactive stance—”I hope we don’t get hacked”—to a proactive one—”We’ve made it incredibly difficult for an attacker to use stolen credentials.”

Stop leaving your master keys under the mat. Lock them in a vault.

Continue your IAM mastery with our guides on Least Privilege and SSO.
Back to IAM Guides