80% of Security Breaches of your Endpoint Start Here

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80% of security breaches of your endpoint start here

Without proper endpoint privilege management (EPM) solutions in place, organizations all over the world are exposed to immense cybersecurity threats. Cybercriminals put privileged accounts at risk because the account allows them to gain access to highly sensitive information and critical systems. If these accounts are not managed properly they can increase the risk of data leaks, financial damage, and violation of compliance guidelines.

Key Statistics Highlighting the Risks

80% of security breaches involve compromised privileged credentials. (Forrester Research)
Nearly 79% of organizations lack a fully implemented PAM solution, leaving them vulnerable. (VentureBeat)
61% of cyberattacks involve valid credentials obtained through phishing or data breaches. (arXiv.org)

The takeaway? Privileged credentials are a hacker's golden ticket—and without effective EPM controls, organizations remain highly vulnerable.

The Principle of Least Privilege: A Security Imperative

One efficient approach to dealing with risk associated with privileged credentials is the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP). This is one of the best cybersecurity policy-making best practices under which users and applications are provided only with the minimum access rights necessary to carry out their functions, reducing the attack surface.

Significance of PoLP:

Minimizes Insider Threats: The theory of least privilege is designed to minimize risks that stem from insider threats. Even with good intentions, an employee can become the greatest risk in an organization. With restricted unnecessary admin privileges, the potential for accidental security breaches is prevented.

Prevents Credential Theft Escalation: Attackers often steal low-level user credentials—PoLP ensures compromised accounts have minimal access, blocking hackers from pivoting to admin rights or sensitive systems.

Enhances Compliance: Many regulatory standards, such as GDPR and HIPAA, require strict control over privileged access. Internal and external audit teams appreciate the enforcement of administrative access discipline set forth by the organization and consider it a valid enhancement for compliance fulfillment.

The Perils of Unchecked Admin Rights

Ransomware Attacks: Employees who have been given blanket takeover control over every aspect of the system may be able to trigger organization-wide ransomware installation simply by interacting with a malicious link.
Unauthorized Software Installation: Unregulated application elevation will allow employees and users to set parameters off freely thereby enabling them to download unverified or vulnerable software.
Increased Risk of Privilege Escalation: Admin account privileges carry grave risks as they allow for the execution of sophisticated attacks and provide greater access to vital systems. These attacks increase the chances of unauthorized elevation access becoming a challenging prospect.

How Endpoint Privilege Management Solves These Issues:

Automated Admin Rights Removal: Instantly revokes admin privileges when no longer needed, reducing attack surfaces.

Secure Application Elevation: Allows privilege elevation only for approved applications, ensuring security without disrupting workflows.

Just-in-Time (JIT) Access: Grants temporary, task-based privileged access, eliminating standing admin rights.

Secure Your Privileged Credentials Today

Given that an astounding 80% of breaches include the use of privileged accounts, an organization can ill afford to ignore Endpoint Privilege Management. From a security perspective, adopting Least Privilege Access, Application Control, and Just-in-Time Access is critical for defending an organization from contemporary cyber threats.