From the PAM Trench: First Objective Define Privileged Access

To establish a strong foundation for Privileged Access Management (PAM), organisations must start by clearly defining what privileged access is, understanding the different types, and recognising the associated risks. Seems simple? Actually, no, as terminology and culture have a part to play. Therefore, my first objective is to form a working group and produce an organisational definition of privileged access. In this blog, I provide the inputs to feed into that working group and a business-friendly definition for you to tailor.

What is Privileged Access?

Privileged access refers to elevated access rights or permissions granted to users, systems, or applications that allow them to perform actions beyond those of a standard user. These actions may include:

• Administering operating systems

• Managing cloud platforms or virtualised infrastructure

• Configuring network devices and security controls

• Accessing sensitive data or critical business applications

• Executing scripts, code, or deployments with elevated privileges

It is this elevated level of access that makes privileged access a core target for threat actors—and a key priority for cyber risk governance.

Why Privileged Access is Necessary

Organisations grant privileged access to support critical operations. Examples include:

• System administrators manage the IT infrastructure

• Database administrators tuning performance or fixing issues

• DevOps engineers are deploying and scaling applications

• Third-party vendors providing remote support

• Automation tools executing privileged tasks (e.g., patching, backups)

Without privileged access, enterprises would lack the agility to maintain uptime, deliver services, and respond to operational issues. But without controls, it becomes a significant liability.

Types of Privileged Access

Privileged access can be classified into several categories based on the function and risk profile:

1. Human Privileged Access

Access granted to individuals—internal staff or third-party users.

• Local Administrator Access – Full control over a workstation or server.

• Domain Administrator Access – Elevated control over Active Directory and domain resources.

• Cloud Admin Roles – Such as AWS IAM Administrator, Azure Global Administrator.

• Application Admins – Privileges within business-critical applications (e.g., SAP, Salesforce).

2. Non-Human Privileged Access

Access is assigned to services, applications, or automated processes.

• Service Accounts – Run background services with elevated rights.

• Application-to-Application (A2A) Accounts – Enable systems to connect securely without user interaction.

• Secrets or Tokens – Used by CI/CD pipelines, bots, or APIs to access protected resources.

3. Emergency or Break Glass Access

Temporary privileged access is issued during high-severity incidents or outages.

• Often bypasses normal access controls, making it high-risk if not managed correctly.

Risks of Privileged Access

Privileged access is inherently powerful—and therefore inherently risky. Key risks include:

• Credential Theft: Attackers who steal privileged credentials can escalate privileges, move laterally, or exfiltrate data.

• Insider Threats: Malicious or negligent insiders can misuse privileged access for sabotage or data theft.

• Misconfiguration or Overprovisioning: Users given excessive rights may unintentionally create security gaps.

• Lack of Visibility: Many organisations struggle to identify where privileged access exists or who is using it.

• Compliance Violations: Regulations such as ISO 27001, NIS2, GDPR, and PCI-DSS demand strong control over privileged access.

These risks are amplified in hybrid and multi-cloud environments where visibility, consistency, and governance are often fragmented.

What is a Privileged Account?

A privileged account is any account that has elevated permissions beyond those of a standard business user. These accounts act as gateways to sensitive systems and data.

Types of Privileged Accounts

Here are the most common categories:

1. Administrative Accounts

• Local Admin Accounts – Provide control over specific endpoints or servers.

• Domain Admin Accounts – Full access across domain-joined systems and Active Directory.

2. Service Accounts

• Used by applications or services to interact with operating systems or networks.

• Typically run without user intervention, and often lack password rotation.

3. Application Accounts

• Embedded within application code or configuration files.

• Used to connect to databases, APIs, or external services.

4. Cloud Privileged Accounts

• Such as Azure Global Admin, AWS Root User, or GCP Project Owner.

• Often targeted for control over cloud-native services.

5. Break Glass Accounts

• Emergency access accounts are used during crisis or outage situations.

6. Third-Party Accounts

• Privileged accounts are granted to external vendors or consultants for support or maintenance purposes.

Risks of Privileged Accounts

These accounts represent high-value targets and often lack basic security hygiene. Common risks include:

• Password Reuse or Staleness – Long-lived credentials that are never rotated.

• Hardcoded Credentials – Embedded in scripts, code, or infrastructure-as-code.

• Overprivileged Accounts – Accounts with excessive rights beyond operational necessity.

• Shared Accounts – Multiple users accessing a single credential, creating accountability issues.

• Unmonitored Access – No session recording or behavioural monitoring, making it hard to detect misuse.

The Strategic Implication

Understanding and controlling privileged access is not just an operational need—it’s a strategic imperative. The ability to secure, monitor, and govern privileged accounts is foundational to a Zero Trust model and directly supports cyber resilience, compliance, and operational integrity.

Organisations must shift from ad-hoc management to a structured Privileged Access Management (PAM) strategy, incorporating:

• Discovery and classification of privileged access and accounts

• Least privilege enforcement and just-in-time access

• Credential vaulting and rotation

• Monitoring and session recording

• Audit trails and continuous risk assessment

Final Thoughts

Privileged access and accounts are essential but dangerous. If unmanaged, they open the door to catastrophic breaches. If governed properly, they can become a pillar of a strong cybersecurity posture and operational excellence.

Understanding the landscape is step one. The next step is strategic control—a comprehensive, risk-informed PAM programme that aligns with your broader cybersecurity and digital transformation agenda. imperative for executives seeking to safeguard resilience, compliance, and customer confidence.