5 Key Identity and Access Management (IAM) Mechanisms

In today's rapidly changing digital world, the focus of corporate security has shifted dramatically. Identity and Access Management (IAM) is now at the forefront of protecting companies, redefining how businesses manage their security. Recent high-profile breaches such as Snowflake, Microsoft, and Dell have shown how crucial it is to handle identity vulnerabilities effectively.

As technology continues to advance with cloud services becoming more common, remote work on the rise, and AI tools becoming standard, the number of identities that organizations have to manage has surged. Each client machine, user, server, and device needs its own identity. These identities are not just about granting access, they create the first line of defense against cyber threats. According to the 2023 Microsoft State of Cloud Permissions report, workload identities outnumber human identities 10:1. Identity sprawl is emerging, and according to IDSA, an astonishing 84% of identity stakeholders said identity-related incidents directly impact their business, up from 68% in 2023. Within this complex identity landscape are five key identity points that demand careful attention: 

• Authentication Mechanisms
• Access Controls
• Privileged Accounts
• Identity Federations
• Identity Repositories 

Let's take a closer look at each one of these:

1. Authentication Mechanisms

‍What are Authentication Mechanisms? A verification of  the identity of users attempting to access systems, applications, and company resources. 

‍How to enforce Authentication Mechanisms? Verification is done commonly through methods such as: 

• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) 
• Single Sign-On (SSO) 
• Biometric Authentication

Step 1:

Choose  an authentication solution (SSO/MFA) that matches your business, users, and risk. Users may have to change their habits and procedures to keep the organization protected. 

Step 2:

Set authentication methods, policies and flows for all users or specific groups

Step 3:

Audit your authentication methods for vulnerabilities 

What are the common risks for Authentication Mechanisms? These processes may, however, be vulnerable to attacks such as:

• Phishing 
• Brute-force attacks
• Other methods attempting to bypass authentication‍

2. Access Controls 

‍What are Access Controls? The access rights and privileges granted to a user. 

‍How to enforce Access Controls? There needs to be policies, rules, and mechanisms to define what resources and actions they are authorized to use or perform within an organization. 

‍Step 1:

Identify which systems and resources require management

Step 2:

Create birthright provisioning policies 

Step 3:

Configure business logics and workflows for user lifecycle

Step 4:

Define a clear approval workflow to request access

Step 5:

Onboard the application to your IAM system

Step 6:

Make sure to enforce the principle of least privilege

Step 7:

Implement Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC)

Step 8:

Conduct User Access Reviews and audits regularly

‍What are the common risks for Access  Controls? If they are misconfigured, outdated, or insufficiently enforced, it may lead to unauthorized access or privilege escalation.In addition, companies do not necessarily have a complete understanding of their own data. 

3. Privileged Accounts

‍What are Privileged Accounts? In your organization’s technology environment, privileged accounts are unique accounts with increased permissions or administrative capabilities which other users within your network do not have.

‍How to manage Privileged Accounts? Many organizations purchase a Privileged Accounts Management (PAM) tool that best fits the organization’s unique PAM needs and objectives. These often discover where privileged accounts exist, reveal the extent of the risk, and help leaders secure these accounts and remove unnecessary privileges. The main tool categories include PASM (Privileged Account and Session Management), PEDM (Privilege Evaluation and Delegation Management) and RPAM (Remote Privileged Access Management).

Step 1:

Discover which privileged accounts exist in your organization

Step 2:

Secure privileged accounts

Step 3:

Remove unnecessary privileges

Step 4: 

Eliminate static or cleartext credentials used by applications

Step 5:

Implement multi-factor authentication for all administrative access 

Step 6:

Assure a secured password rotation (changing and resetting of passwords and other privileged credentials)

Step 7:

Gain observability of privileged access‍

What are the common risks for Privileged Accounts? Privileged Accounts may be targeted to compromise critical systems, sensitive company data, or infrastructure components.

4. Identity Federations

‍What are Identity Federations? Enables different organizations to share and trust user identities across domains, allowing users to access multiple systems with a single set of credentials through established trust relationships. One well-known service for federated identity management is Google. A user may log into a third-party website by using their Gmail login credentials, if Google has signed a federated agreement with this vendor.  

‍How to manage Identity Federations? When you implement Federated Identity Management (FIM), it means that a user in your organization may use one set of login credentials for multiple websites and services. These services have signed on a federated agreement with the login service provider. There will be no need for the user to create new credentials every time they try to access any of these specific websites. 

‍Step 1:

Define users in the organization that will gain access to multiple external resources using one set of login credentials 

Step 2:

Grant access to relevant users

Step 3:

Ongoingly manage these powerful credentials as they can present a security risk if not managed correctly 

‍What are the common risks for Identity Federations? This can introduce security risks if not properly managed or configured.

5. Identity Repositories 

‍What are Identity Repositories? LDAP directories or databases that contain information about use entitlements, attributes, and identities. AD’s or Cloud based identity repositories may be target for unauthorized access, infiltration, or manipulation by bad actors

‍How to manage Identity Repositories? Once the account repository is operational, identities will be created and consumed by the applications. A key objective of identity management is to automate the provisioning of identities based on insights from the business databases. A good management strategy is essential for clean automation

‍Step 1:

Define the activation process and how the person concerned is notified of account creation

Step 2:

Set up business processes of updated staff data, and technical process of regular updates by data flows

Step 3:

Determine duration and expiration via stale account sanitization guidelines

Step 4:

Form identifiers based off of controlled lifetime, controlled length, assignability, and invariability across lifetime of identity

‍What are the common risks for Identity Repositories? Stale accounts as shown in the AT&T Snowflake breach, where an attacker used a stale account in order to gain access to sensitive call records.

‍Ready to Remove the IAM Weight Off of Your Security Team’s Back? Introducing Alex, Twine’s first digital cybersecurity employee, who takes away the burden of identity management tasks - proactively completing your organization’s cyber objectives.Let Alex learn, understand and provide end-to-end execution and automation for your cyber team’s critical identity and access management (IAM) tasks: 

The problem with today’s identity and access management (IAM) tools is that they generate a lot more work than initially expected: setup, deployment, as well as ongoing upkeep. Legacy systems are excessively complicated, require highly skilled operators, and do not ensure thorough deprovisioning. This results in residual traces, orphaned accounts, and over-privileged accounts.

Before Alex, no technology has been able to fully replicate human capabilities in the IAM cybersecurity vertical - until now. With Alex, finally cybersecurity teams are equipped with   a high-performing digital employee who joins the team and autonomously executes IAM tasks as directed, from A to Z. Onboard Alex to maximize cyber efficiency and get the most out of your existing Identity toolset.