TEA, or time, entitlements and approvals is a security concept that enhances access control by managing when, how much, and under what conditions users or systems can access resources. This approach helps mitigate risks associated with standing credentials and simplifies the implementation of zero standing privileges (ZSP) by ensuring that access to sensitive systems is temporary, context-based and properly vetted through approvals. TEA is particularly useful in environments such as cloud infrastructure and development pipelines where security needs to be balanced with operational efficiency.
How is TEA related to privileged access management (PAM)?
The TEA concept arose from the growing need to address the complexity of managing privileged access in dynamic, cloud-based environments. Traditional methods often rely on standing credentials or pre-assigned access, which can lead to security vulnerabilities for developers. To work efficiently, developers rely on credentials that remain always active or that are stored and easily re-used. However, if stolen or compromised, bad actors can exploit these to gain unauthorized access to sensitive systems.
TEA allows for access controls to be more adaptable and context-aware, rather than relying on static, long-term credentials or access policies that are difficult to adjust in real time. This helps developers and cloud engineers access what they need without the risks associated with prolonged or unnecessary entitlements. The evolution of privileged access management coupled with the rise of identity security best practices, laid the groundwork for the TEA as a concept.
How are TEA systems applied in cybersecurity?
TEA is applied in PAM systems, cloud environments and IT operations where sensitive access needs to be controlled without compromising workflow efficiency. The framework can be particularly useful for organizations adopting ZSP, integrates easily with multi-factor authentication (MFA) and identity security protocols. The framework is applied as follows:
- Time focuses on the duration for which access is granted. By limiting the time window during which users or systems have access, organizations can reduce the exposure of privileged accounts. Time-based access reduces the potential for attackers to exploit credentials or gain unauthorized entry. Dynamic session durations give developers and engineers controlled yet flexible access.
- Entitlements refer to the specific access rights or permissions that are granted. TEA ensures that only the necessary permissions, aligned with the principle of least privilege, are provided. This dynamic provisioning minimizes over-entitlement, ensuring that users or systems have just enough access to complete their tasks without having excessive privileges that could be exploited.
- Approvals are the security checkpoints that validate access requests. Instead of allowing open or default access, TEA introduces an approval layer which can be automated or integrated with systems like IT service management (ITSM) and ChatOps tools. This step ensures that only authorized personnel can grant access, reducing the chance of human error or unnecessary privilege escalation. Approvals may include risk-based assessments, attribute-based controls (ABAC) or contextual checks to further strengthen the process.
How can TEA enhance other cybersecurity tools?
TEA plays a pivotal role in bolstering security measures, especially when integrated with other key access management strategies.
Multi-factor authentication: Users that requesting temporary entitlements must verify their identity through MFA, ensuring that only authenticated personnel gain access during the allotted time.
Privileged access: By ensuring that sensitive systems are only accessible for a specific time frame, with the appropriate entitlements and proper approvals, TEA minimizes the risk of overexposure and unauthorized use of privileged accounts.
Identity security: TEA ensures that access is tightly bound to verified identities. This helps in tracking, auditing, and enforcing identity-based access controls across cloud environments and other infrastructure.
Zero standing privileges: Users must request access based on need, and the entitlements granted are tied to a specific period, preventing the existence of dormant but exploitable credentials.
What are common use cases for TEA?
Technology & Cloud Services: In a tech company, DevOps engineers need access to production environments to deploy updates or troubleshoot issues. Instead of giving them long-standing credentials, TEA provides time-limited access to cloud resources like servers or Kubernetes clusters. For example, a DevOps engineer working on a critical update is granted temporary access to a cloud environment. Once the update is complete, access is automatically revoked. This prevents any unused credentials from being exploited, maintaining ZSP while allowing engineers to perform their tasks efficiently.
Financial Services: A developer at a bank working on a payment processing system requires privileged access to integrate new features in the production environment. The developer gets access to the API gateways for testing during business hours, and the access is revoked afterward. This reduces the security risks associated with over-provisioning access, helping to comply with financial regulations while maintaining secure development practices.
Retail & E-Commerce: In a large e-commerce company, developers are responsible for updating the backend system that manages customer orders. A developer might need access to the database to troubleshoot an issue during a flash sale. TEA ensures that access is revoked once the task is complete so that sensitive customer data, such as payment details, is only accessible when absolutely necessary, reducing the risk of breaches.
Manufacturing & Industrial IoT: Developers managing Industrial IoT platforms that manage factory automation need access to the machines’ control systems during a system upgrade. TEA allows them to receive temporary entitlements to access these control systems on specific machines only when necessary for updates or troubleshooting.
