The Hidden Boardroom Risk
- Pravin Raghvani MSc
- Jun 18
- 2 min read
Privileged access is not just an IT control—it's a hidden strategic liability.
In boardrooms across the UK and EU, cyber risk is firmly on the agenda. Yet one of the most dangerous threats is also the least understood at the executive level: privileged access. These are the keys to your kingdom—accounts that can bypass controls, change system configurations, and access sensitive data across the enterprise.
In nearly every major breach over the past five years—from ransomware takedowns to insider sabotage—privileged access played a central role.
Why It’s a Boardroom Exposure
Privileged Access Management (PAM) has traditionally been treated as a niche IT domain. But the threat landscape has changed:
Attackers target privilege first. Ransomware groups, nation-state actors, and insider threats exploit privileged accounts to escalate impact.
Regulators are watching. Frameworks like DORA, NIS2, and ISO 27001 now emphasise identity and access governance.
Business impact is escalating. Privilege misuse can halt operations, leak customer data, and trigger compliance breaches.
This isn’t a theoretical concern. In multiple UK-based incidents, attackers gained access via dormant administrative accounts, pivoted into core systems, and caused millions of pounds in operational damage—all because privilege wasn’t governed at the executive level.
How to Bring Privileged Access to the Board
CISOs and senior security leaders must now reframe PAM as a strategic risk control, not a technical investment. That starts with:
Visibility: What privileged accounts exist across our estate—human and non-human?
Accountability: Who owns the risk associated with those accounts?
Assurance: How do we know privilege is being used, reviewed, and revoked appropriately?
When positioned correctly, PAM provides the board with confidence that the most powerful identities in the business are under control.
Executive Outcome: Risk Visibility and Confidence
Boards don’t need to know how PAM tools work. But they must understand:
Whether privilege is a current gap in the cyber strategy
How PAM reduces risk exposure across ransomware, insider threats, and third-party access
That there’s a roadmap in place to govern privilege consistently and measurably
Takeaway: If it can bypass your defences, it must be governed from the top. Make PAM part of your board-level cyber risk narrative.
