Privileged Account Monitoring Tool
PAM solutions support the implementation of least privilege
Integrate intelligence with security automation tools
Enforce privileged account security policies with auditing
Shared operations accounts, default administrative accounts, and service accounts are all commonly used to connect network users across platforms. However, from a security perspective, it is important to prohibit hackers from obtaining password-protected access to critical systems and confidential data.
SolarWinds SEM can help enforce these security policies by monitoring and auditing all administrative changes. The PAM solutions in SEM are designed to collect an intuitive audit of privileged account activities, so that admins can easily run automated, custom reports of privileged account log data.
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What is privileged account management?
Privileged Account Management (PAM) refers to the process of maintaining and safeguarding the accounts within a system that have special access to sensitive data. Privileged users can take a variety of forms, from trusted high-security company managers to IT contractors with the ability to access necessary data. Delegating data management responsibilities to privileged accounts can be crucial to company function, but multiple users with data modification capability can also lead to increased risk of privileged account login capabilities falling into the wrong hands.
The key to successful PAM lies in establishing a comprehensive security protocol. SolarWinds Security Event Manager provides a specific framework for PAM success, including alerts for potential security breaches and tools to help minimize the number of privileged accounts necessary for systems.
How do PAM solutions work?
Hackers commonly target the application server by gaining access to privileged accounts. Without a plan to manage privileged account security, access to server data from bad agents can slip under the radar. Unlike exterior threats, internal threats from privileged accounts can be difficult for malware inhibitors to detect. Due to the nature of privileged account threats, companies need a comprehensive, centralized way to observe and adjust privileged accounts—or to quickly disable accounts if a security breach is suspected.
The privileged account management tools in SolarWinds SEM are built to assess security threats by monitoring the server data audit for discrepancies and changes. When unusual data points are detected, the PAM tool can shut down suspicious privileged accounts and automatically remove privileged access. SolarWinds PAM solutions can also use alert systems to notify of potential compromise.
Why is privileged account management important?
PAM solutions are important security mechanisms for organizations to defend against both external and internal cyberthreats. And privileged account management isn’t just responsive—it’s also preventative. An effective PAM program establishes a policy based on the “principle of least privilege.” This means that admins only extend users the minimum privileges they need to do their job. For instance, users may have read-only access for sensitive data or may not be able to view sensitive data at all. Admins can use PAM software to help minimize cybersecurity risk by generating reports on the actual privileged programs accessed by each privileged user in the system. That way, if a privileged user isn’t using their privileged responsibilities, their privileged status can be downgraded or revoked.
Privileged Account Management Best Practices
Utilizing IT security management tools is crucial when taking steps to make your environment more secure against privileged account attacks. Malicious external actors will attempt to compromise companies’ networks by using existing security vulnerabilities or cyberattacks to gain user credentials—often without the intention of seeking privileged account rights but accounts with any level of access that could lead to valuable company information.
Additionally, at-risk privileged accounts are a major concern for today’s organizations, since hackers know the best way to modify and obtain critical company data quickly is by using accounts with privileged access to discreetly enter organizations. IT security administrators need to continually monitor who made what changes on the company server, from financial records to customer data, to help ensure privileged accounts are behaving as expected.
SolarWinds PAM tool is built to monitor privileged account activity in server logs and send alerts when configurable thresholds that could indicate security threats are met. SolarWinds PAM tool also compiles privilege-specific audit trails to report on privileged account activity in an easy to read format. For companies that need to meet industry audit requirements, Security Event Manager privileged account management tools are designed to make it simple to demonstrate compliance.
How does privileged account management work in SolarWinds SEM?
SolarWinds SEM is an extensive security program that monitors and centralizes logs from across your network, compiling audit trails on user activity and behavior to help flag suspicious patterns and prevent data breaches. The SolarWinds PAM tool is included in Security Event Manager and doesn’t require a separate installation. The PAM feature leverages in-depth, automated data monitoring to help you better detect security threats, with the ability to enable real-time responses to unusual behavior. Use SEM to gain insight into user groups and permissions to easily implement effective privileged account settings.
- What is privileged account management?
- How do PAM solutions work?
- Why is privileged account management important?
- Privileged Account Management Best Practices
- How does privileged account management work in SolarWinds SEM?
- Related Features and Tools
What is privileged account management?
Privileged Account Management (PAM) refers to the process of maintaining and safeguarding the accounts within a system that have special access to sensitive data. Privileged users can take a variety of forms, from trusted high-security company managers to IT contractors with the ability to access necessary data. Delegating data management responsibilities to privileged accounts can be crucial to company function, but multiple users with data modification capability can also lead to increased risk of privileged account login capabilities falling into the wrong hands.
The key to successful PAM lies in establishing a comprehensive security protocol. SolarWinds Security Event Manager provides a specific framework for PAM success, including alerts for potential security breaches and tools to help minimize the number of privileged accounts necessary for systems.
Build privileged account management into your access control workflow
Security Event Manager
- Keep track of privileged account use and leverage automated threat response.
- Optimize your security by implementing the principle of least privilege across the network.
- Streamline privileged account auditing for proactive security changes.
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