How To Protect an Enterprise Database From Privilege Abuse

Organizations can protect their enterprise database from privilege abuse by implementing the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP), following a zero-trust security approach and investing in a Privileged Access Management (PAM) solution.

Continue reading to learn what privilege abuse is, the risks of privilege abuse in an organization and how to prevent it. 

What Is Privilege Abuse in Cybersecurity?

In cybersecurity, privilege abuse refers to a user who abuses their access privileges within an organization for malicious purposes. Users who have access to highly sensitive systems and data are often referred to as privileged users. When privileged users abuse their privileges, they can give other threat actors access to sensitive information, modify data and even delete data. 

However, not all privilege abuse is caused by malicious insiders. In some scenarios, threat actors could compromise a privileged user’s account and use it to impersonate them. This is also known as an account takeover attack. Once a threat actor has compromised a privileged user’s account, they can access anything that privileged user has access to. 

The Risks of Privilege Abuse

There are several risks associated with privilege abuse including having accounts and data become compromised, suffering significant financial losses and experiencing a tarnished reputation. 

Compromised accounts and data

Privilege abuse can lead to data and accounts becoming compromised within an organization. Depending on the accounts that become compromised, the data that threat actors will have access to varies. For example, if a threat actor compromises an IT administrator account, they could grant themselves privileges to move laterally throughout the organization’s network. If a threat actor compromises payroll systems, they could gain access to employee Personally Identifiable Information (PII) which they can then sell on the dark web to be used for identity theft. 

Significant financial losses

Depending on the goal of the threat actor, they could also use privilege abuse to steal money from an organization. According to Keeper Security’s 2022 US Cybersecurity Census Report, the average amount of money that organizations lost as a result of a cyber attack was more than $75,000 – and 37% of organizations lost $100,00 or more. In addition to the money that is stolen from organizations, they also suffer indirect losses from attacks, which is mainly due to the costs associated with recovering from the attack and losing customers as a result of it. 

Tarnished reputation

More than one-quarter of organizations suffer from reputational damage after a successful cyber attack, according to Keeper’s Cybersecurity Census Report. When a customer’s sensitive data becomes compromised as a result of an attack, they’ll no longer trust the company. Customers may move to the company’s competition as a result of an attack and the organization may suffer a tarnished reputation for years to come. 

How To Prevent Privilege Abuse at Your Enterprise

To prevent privilege abuse at your enterprise, you should implement and practice the principle of least privilege, follow a zero-trust security approach and invest in a privileged access management solution. 

Implement and practice the principle of least privilege

The principle of least privilege is a cybersecurity concept in which users are only given enough access to the systems and data they need to do their jobs. Implementing the principle of least privilege in your organization ensures that no one has excessive privileges they don’t need, which reduces your organization’s attack surface. This practice also minimizes the risk of insider threats within an organization since only certain individuals will have access to sensitive data and systems. 

Follow a zero-trust security approach

Zero trust is a security framework that assumes every user or device could be compromised, meaning every user and device should be verified before they can access a network. Zero trust is based on three core principles: assume breach, verify explicitly and ensure least privilege. 

• Assume breach: Before any device or user is allowed access to an organization’s network, you should assume that it could be compromised. 
• Verify explicitly: Every device and user must prove they are who they say they are before they are allowed access to an organization’s network, systems and data. 
• Ensure least privilege: When a user is logged on to an organization’s networks, they should have the minimum amount of network access they need to perform their job, not more and not less. 

Invest in a PAM solution

Privileged Access Management (PAM) refers to how organizations manage and secure access to their most sensitive systems and data. PAM solutions are designed to help organizations better manage and control access to these highly sensitive systems and data. 

Next-generation PAM solutions like KeeperPAM™ are all-encompassing and provide organizations with password management, secrets management and remote connection management to secure their most valuable assets. KeeperPAM provides IT administrators with features such as Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and Privileged Session Management (PSM) to better control and secure privileged systems and data. 

• Role-Based Access Control: RBAC aids IT administrators in defining roles and privileges so they can restrict access to systems and data to only authorized users. RBAC makes it easy for IT admins to practice the principle of least privilege by allowing them to give employees just the network access they need to perform their jobs. 
• Privileged Session Management: Privileged session management is a feature that monitors, records and controls privileged sessions. Whenever a privileged user accesses highly-sensitive accounts and data, their session will be recorded for security purposes and to ensure they aren’t misusing their privileges. 

KeeperPAM Protects Your Enterprise Database From Privilege Abuse

Protecting your enterprise database from privilege abuse doesn’t have to be complex or costly. With a next-generation PAM solution like KeeperPAM, you can ensure that your privileged systems and data are securely managed at all times. 

To see for yourself how KeeperPAM can help protect your enterprise, request a demo today.