PAM (Privilege Access Management)

Privileged Access Management (PAM) is a cybersecurity strategy that protects organizations from cyberthreats by managing and securing accounts with elevated access to sensitive data and systems:

What it does

PAM monitors, detects, and prevents unauthorized access to critical resources. It also provides visibility into who is using privileged accounts and what they are doing.

Here are some key aspects of PAM:

• Principle of Least Privilege: Ensures users only have the minimum level of access necessary to perform their jobs2.
• Monitoring and Auditing: Tracks and records activities of privileged accounts to detect and respond to suspicious behavior.
• Credential Management: Automates the management of passwords and other credentials to reduce the risk of misuse2.
• Just-in-Time Access: Provides temporary access to critical resources as needed, reducing the window of opportunity for potential attacks.

 How it works

PAM uses a combination of people, processes, and technology. It's based on the principle of least privilege, which limits access to the minimum required to perform a user's job functions.

Why it's important

PAM is considered a critical security discipline for reducing cyber risk and mitigating the damage from external attacks and insider threats. Verizon estimates that 49% of security breaches involve compromised privileged credentials.

Other names

PAM is also known as privileged identity management (PIM) or privileged access security (PAS).

Some examples of privileged users include: System and account administrators, Upper management, Security personnel, HR professionals, and Finance employees.