Intelligent privilege controls are advanced security measures designed to dynamically manage access to enterprise resources based on real-time risk assessments and contextual factors. These controls adapt to varying levels of risk associated with different identities—human and machine—and their activities within an organization, ensuring that appropriate access is granted without disrupting productivity.
How do intelligent privilege controls enhance traditional privilege access management?
Intelligent privilege controls help overcome traditional challenges associated with privilege access management (PAM) such as rigid access policies, static permissions and lack of real-time threat detection. They provide a more flexible, scalable and context-aware approach to securing modern, dynamic IT environments.
Intelligent privilege controls assess the risk of each access request in real time and adjust privileges accordingly. This ensures that users, applications and systems have the minimum necessary access at any given time, reducing the risk of unauthorized actions. By continuously monitoring and adapting to the behavior of identities, these controls help prevent identity compromise, lateral movement and privilege abuse, which are common steps in the identity attack chain. These controls also balance security with usability, providing protection without overwhelming users with unnecessary authentication steps.
What key capabilities should intelligent privilege control providers offer?
Access with zero-standing privileges (ZSP) eliminates persistent access by granting temporary, just-in-time access based on the least privilege principle. ZSP minimizes the attack surface by dynamically elevating and revoking user privileges as needed.
Credential vaulting and management securely stores and rotates credentials, such as passwords and keys, to prevent unauthorized access and reduce the risk of credential theft.
Session protection, isolation and monitoring safeguards active sessions from hijacking, monitors them for suspicious behavior and ensures that users can only access the resources they are authorized to, preventing attackers from moving laterally through an organization.
Endpoint identity security applies least privilege policies and application controls at the endpoint level to prevent identity-related threats, such as ransomware and unauthorized access.
Identity threat detection and response (ITDR) identifies and responds to identity-related threats by analyzing logs and session activities. It can automatically trigger actions like step-up authentication or session termination in response to suspicious behavior.
What challenges can intelligent privilege controls help solve?
Implementing intelligent privilege controls can help organizations mitigate many emerging threats and challenges. Some of these include the following:
- Third-party vendors often require privileged access to sensitive company information. Just-in-time access and ZSP provide vendors with the necessary permissions only for the duration of their tasks, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access, data breaches and compliance issues.
- The widespread adoption of cloud and hybrid environments (like AWS, Azure and Google Cloud) carries a high risk of misconfiguration and attack. ZSP, session isolation and dynamic access ensure that only authorized users can access critical infrastructure and perform high-risk actions, reducing accidental or malicious misuse without disrupting productivity.
- Regulatory compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is critical for industries like finance and healthcare. Intelligent privilege controls can help these organizations protect sensitive information and provide detailed audit trails to meet requirements for data privacy.
Learn more about intelligent privilege controls
- The Backbone of Modern Security: Intelligent Privilege Controls™ for Every Identity
- Intelligent Privilege Controls™: A Quick Guide to Secure Every Identity
- Securing the Modern Workforce: The Power of Intelligent Privilege Controls
- Intelligent Privilege Controls™: Your Strongest Ally In The Face Of Attacks
- Understanding Risk, Access, and Privilege Controls with the CyberArk Blueprint
