From Super Users to Super Risks: The High Stakes of Privileged Identity Thefts

One cannot stress how crucial it is to secure privileged identities in today's digital environment. The risk is substantial and rising, as over 80% of cyberattacks start with illegal access to these vital accounts. Serious repercussions such as ransomware infestations and business email compromise are frequently made possible by these attacks (BEC). Recognizing and mitigating these risks becomes critical as enterprises struggle with the growing complexity of their IT environments.

Business Email Compromise a.k.a BEC is also a major worry since it gives hackers the ability to manipulate email exchanges by utilizing stolen privileged identities. BEC attacks are complicated and tough to identify and stop because they frequently take advantage of the confidence that is placed in senior executives and IT personnel.

Challenges and complexities

Privilege identity theft presents several issues that many businesses struggle with:

• Limited Visibility: The complexity of modern IT infrastructures makes it difficult for organizations to gain a comprehensive view of identity risks. The absence of visibility complicates the task of monitoring and addressing unauthorized access. Determining the locations and methods of privileged identity usage or abuse can be difficult due to the large number of interconnected systems and apps.
• Undefined Security Procedures: Many firms do not have clear security procedures in place to manage and safeguard their identity infrastructure. Maintaining the integrity of privileged accounts becomes extremely difficult in the absence of defined protocols for credential management and access control. As a result, attackers may be able to take advantage of these security holes.
• Complexity of Active Directory Management: The inherent complexity of AD environments presents a challenge to companies that use Active Directory (AD) as a core component of their identity management. Vulnerabilities may be created by obsolete accounts, improperly configured permissions, and inadequate monitoring.

The next question is obvious, what's the solution?

Organizations require a strong solution that offers thorough monitoring and risk assessment in order to effectively prevent privileged identity theft and the hazards that accompany it. The Identity Threat Defense platform from Proofpoint provides an effective toolkit to tackle these issues and improve security in general.

The value addition that Proofpoint provides involves:

• Continuous Monitoring: Proofpoint's technology keeps an eye on Active Directory environments all the time, giving real-time insight into the use of privileged identities. This continuous monitoring aids in the early detection of anomalous activity, possible dangers, and unwanted access attempts before they become serious assaults.
• Risk Score-Based Alerts: The technology creates real-time alerts based on risk scores by using sophisticated algorithms to evaluate the danger associated with privileged identities. Organizations may prioritize their responses by concentrating on the greatest risk threats first, thanks to these notifications. Actionable insights are what Proofpoint offers, and they enable companies to promptly find and fix such problems.
• Immediate Prioritization and Remediation: The capability of Proofpoint's Identity Threat Defense technology to enable prompt threat prioritization and remediation is one of its main advantages. Organizations can quickly reduce risks and break the attack chain with the aid of the platform, which highlights significant concerns and offers recommendations on appropriate response steps.
• Breaking the Attack Chain: In order to stop attackers from accomplishing their goals, effective threat identification and response are essential. By spotting and eliminating threats before they have a chance to do any harm, Proofpoint's platform assists businesses in breaking up the attack chain. By being proactive, this strategy lowers the probability of successful assaults and improves overall security posture.
• Protecting Critical Assets: The protection of an organization's vital assets is the ultimate objective of any identity threat defense system. Proofpoint helps secure sensitive data, systems, and company operations by protecting privileged identities and thwarting unlawful access. Sustaining consumer trust, regulatory compliance, and business continuity all depend on this protection.

Organizations are greatly at risk from privileged identity theft, which can result in destructive attacks like ransomware and business email compromise. Enhanced visibility, clearly defined security procedures, and efficient monitoring tools are all necessary components of a holistic strategy to mitigate this risk.

Implementing powerful identity threat prevention solutions is not only a best practice, but also a need of the moment when cyberattacks are growing more and more complex. With Proofpoint, organizations can ensure their privileged identities remain secure and their operations resilient against emerging threats.