Privileged accounts are the keys to the kingdom. Domain administrators, root accounts, database admins, and cloud IAM administrators have the access required to cause catastrophic damage if compromised. According to multiple studies, 80% of breaches involve compromised privileged credentials, and 75% of security breaches involve privileged accounts.
Despite this, 79% of enterprises lack a mature PAM platform, and 92% of organizations that attempt PAM deployment do not fully implement it due to complexity. This guide provides a practical path to PAM implementation.
What Counts as Privileged Access
Privileged access is any access that can make system-wide changes. NIST defines a privileged user as one authorized to perform security-relevant functions that ordinary users cannot.
Types of Privileged Accounts
| Account Type | Description | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| Super user / Root | Unrestricted access to files, directories, resources; can install software, change configurations, delete users | Critical |
| Domain administrators | Control Active Directory users and organizational policies | Critical |
| Local administrators | Administrative access to specific systems or servers | High |
| Service accounts | Non-human accounts used by applications for automated tasks | High |
| Machine accounts | Authenticate machines to other machines, often via SSH keys | High |
| Emergency / Break-glass | Temporary elevated access for emergencies | Critical |
| Third-party access | Contractors, vendors, partners accessing IT systems | Variable |
Hidden Privileged Access
Many organizations undercount privileged accounts by ignoring:
- Service accounts embedded in applications
- SSH keys and certificates
- API keys with elevated permissions
- Cloud IAM roles with administrative access
- Database administrator accounts
- Network device credentials
Core PAM Capabilities
Credential Vaulting
Store all privileged credentials in an encrypted vault rather than scattered spreadsheets, configuration files, or individual password managers.
| Capability | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Encrypted storage | Protect credentials at rest |
| Access controls | Limit who can retrieve credentials |
| Audit logging | Track all credential access |
| Check-in/check-out | Control credential usage |
| Session initiation | Launch sessions directly from vault |
Automated Credential Rotation
Credentials that never change are credentials waiting to be exploited. Automate rotation:
| Rotation Type | Frequency |
|---|---|
| After each use | Highest security for sensitive accounts |
| Scheduled (daily/weekly) | Balance security and operational overhead |
| On suspected compromise | Immediate rotation triggered by alerts |
| Service accounts | Automated rotation with application coordination |
Just-In-Time (JIT) Access
Replace permanent administrative access with temporary, time-bound elevation:
| JIT Component | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Zero standing privilege | No permanent admin rights |
| Request workflow | Users request elevation for specific tasks |
| Approval process | Manager or security team approval |
| Time-bound access | Privileges automatically expire |
| Task-scoped permissions | Grant only what is needed for the task |
JIT access reduces the attack window from continuous to brief periods when access is actually needed.
Session Recording
Record all privileged sessions for forensic review and compliance:
| Recording Type | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Keystroke logging | Detailed activity capture |
| Screen recording | Visual record of actions taken |
| Command logging | CLI and script execution |
| Session playback | Incident investigation |
| Real-time monitoring | Active session supervision |
Implementation Phases
Phase 1: Discovery and Planning (Months 1-2)
Define strategy:
- Align PAM program with business objectives
- Identify regulatory requirements
- Secure executive sponsorship and budget
Discover privileged accounts:
- Scan entire IT environment automatically
- Document purpose, associated applications, responsible individuals
- Identify service accounts, SSH keys, and API credentials
- Map relationships between accounts and systems
Conduct risk assessment:
- Prioritize accounts by risk level
- Identify accounts requiring immediate attention
- Assess current vulnerabilities
Phase 2: Design and Scope (Months 2-3)
Start narrow:
- Begin with highest-risk accounts (domain admins, root)
- Define use cases for immediate implementation
- Plan 12-24 month roadmap for expansion
Design architecture:
- Select deployment model (cloud, on-premises, hybrid)
- Plan integration with identity providers
- Define access policies and workflows
Develop policies:
- Password complexity and rotation requirements
- JIT access approval workflows
- Session recording retention
- Break-glass procedures
Phase 3: Implementation and Pilot (Months 3-5)
Deploy PAM platform:
- Install in controlled environment
- Configure vaulting and rotation
- Set up session recording
Pilot with limited scope:
- Onboard highest-risk accounts
- Test JIT workflows
- Gather user feedback
- Identify and resolve issues
Phase 4: Rollout and Expansion (Months 5-12)
Expand coverage:
- Roll out to additional account types
- Onboard service accounts
- Integrate with additional systems
Establish operations:
- Define business-as-usual processes
- Train administrators and users
- Implement monitoring and alerting
Service Account Management
Service accounts are frequently overlooked and over-privileged. They often have more access than human accounts and are harder to track.
Service Account Challenges
| Challenge | Risk |
|---|---|
| No documented owner | Accounts become orphaned |
| Static credentials | Never rotated, easily compromised |
| Over-privileged | More access than needed |
| Interactive login enabled | Can be used by attackers |
| Invisible to identity teams | Not tracked in IAM |
Best Practices
| Practice | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Complete inventory | Scan and document all service accounts |
| Documented ownership | Assign responsible individuals |
| Automated rotation | PAM-managed password changes |
| Least privilege | Minimum access for designated function |
| No interactive login | Alert on interactive usage |
| Managed identities | Use cloud-native options where possible |
Cloud Service Identity
| Cloud | Managed Identity Option |
|---|---|
| AWS | IAM Roles, Instance Profiles |
| Azure | Managed Identities |
| GCP | Workload Identity, Service Account Keys |
Managed identities eliminate the need to store and rotate credentials for cloud workloads.
Cloud Privileged Access
Cloud environments require PAM approaches adapted to their unique characteristics.
AWS Considerations
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
| Root user access | Secure and rarely use; MFA required |
| IAM policy complexity | Deep expertise required |
| Wildcard permissions | Avoid . permissions |
| Temporary credentials | Use AWS STS for elevation |
AWS STS (Security Token Service):
- Creates temporary security credentials
- Credentials last minutes to hours
- Not stored with users
- Ideal for JIT access patterns
Azure Considerations
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
| Hierarchical permissions | Understand scope inheritance |
| Entra ID role sprawl | Regular access reviews |
| Conditional Access complexity | Test thoroughly before deployment |
Azure PIM (Privileged Identity Management):
- Just-in-time privileged access
- Approval workflows
- Time-bound role activation
- Built-in audit logging
Azure’s hierarchical model applies permissions at management group, subscription, resource group, and resource levels.
GCP Considerations
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
| No built-in PIM | Use third-party PAM or IAM Conditions |
| Service account sprawl | Service accounts outlive creators |
| Policy Intelligence | Use recommendations for least privilege |
GCP IAM Conditions:
- Time-based access restrictions
- IP-restricted permissions
- Attribute-aware access decisions
Cross-Cloud Statistics
Microsoft research shows over 50,000 types of identity permissions exist across Entra and associated services, yet 98% of cloud privileges given to users are never used. This over-provisioning creates unnecessary attack surface.
PAM for DevOps
Modern PAM must address secrets management in CI/CD pipelines.
The Secrets Sprawl Problem
Secrets scatter across:
- Code repositories
- CI/CD pipeline configurations
- Developer laptops
- Build artifacts
- Chat systems
- Environment variables
65% of cloud security problems involve exposed secrets, and the median time to locate disclosed secrets exceeds 24 hours.
Secrets Management Best Practices
| Practice | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Centralize secrets | Use dedicated tools (HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault) |
| Never hardcode | No credentials in code or config files |
| Inject at runtime | Environment variables or secret stores |
| Short-lived credentials | Expire automatically |
| Audit access | Log all secret retrievals |
HashiCorp Vault for CI/CD
| Capability | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Dynamic secrets | Generated on demand, expire automatically |
| Multiple auth methods | JWT/OIDC, LDAP, TLS certificates |
| Cloud integration | AWS, Azure, GCP native support |
| Kubernetes integration | Secrets Operator syncs to clusters |
Integration Requirements
Identity Provider Integration
PAM solutions should integrate with existing identity infrastructure:
| Integration | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Entra ID | SSO, conditional access, directory sync |
| Okta | OIDC/SAML authentication, SCIM provisioning |
| Active Directory | On-premises directory integration |
| LDAP | Legacy directory support |
SIEM Integration
Send PAM events to your SIEM for correlation and alerting:
| Event Type | Alert Trigger |
|---|---|
| Failed authentication | Multiple failures indicate attack |
| Privilege escalation | Unusual role activation |
| Session anomalies | Off-hours access, unusual commands |
| Policy violations | Circumvention attempts |
ITSM Integration
Connect PAM to service management:
- Require ticket numbers for access requests
- Auto-close tickets when access expires
- Audit trail linking access to business justification
Compliance Drivers
PCI-DSS (Requirements 7 and 8)
- Least privilege access to cardholder data
- Multi-factor authentication required
- Strong password security measures
- Session monitoring and recording
HIPAA
- Control access to Protected Health Information
- Record and examine activity in systems containing ePHI
- Session monitoring requirements
SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley)
- Safeguard data for accurate financial reports
- Technical means to protect financial data
- Allow security verification by auditors
- Report all data breaches
Common Implementation Challenges
Challenge 1: Complexity
56% of IT teams attempted PAM deployment, but 92% did not fully implement due to complexity.
Solution: Use phased deployment, start narrow, choose user-friendly solutions.
Challenge 2: User Resistance
Users view PAM as disruptive to workflows.
Solution:
- Engage stakeholders early
- Communicate why PAM is being implemented
- Provide hands-on demos
- Build trust before deployment
Challenge 3: Legacy System Integration
Older systems lack compatibility with modern PAM.
Solution:
- Conduct compatibility assessment
- Engage privileged access security experts
- Develop custom integrations where needed
Challenge 4: Incomplete Deployment
Rollout stalls after initial systems are covered.
Solution:
- Re-map privileged accounts regularly
- Identify missing systems and users
- Plan staged rollout with testing
Challenge 5: Agent Deployment
Maintaining agents across thousands of endpoints is unrealistic.
Solution: Consider agentless PAM solutions using APIs and native platform integrations.
PAM Metrics
Board-Level KPIs
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| MFA identity coverage | Percentage of identities with MFA |
| PAM identity coverage | Percentage of privileged users with PAM controls |
Operational Metrics
| Metric | Goal |
|---|---|
| Privileged account density | Minimize accounts per user |
| Password vaulting coverage | Near 100% of accounts vaulted |
| Uncertified privilege accounts | Zero (all accounts reviewed) |
| Sessions without tickets | Zero (indicates suspicious activity) |
| Mean time to access revocation | Minimize |
Vendor Landscape
CyberArk
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Market position | Gartner Leader for three consecutive years |
| Strengths | Comprehensive solution, detailed session capture, adaptive MFA |
| Considerations | Resource-intensive, higher licensing costs |
| Best for | Large enterprises with complex requirements |
Delinea
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Market position | Formed from Thycotic and Centrify merger |
| Strengths | Faster setup, easier to use, operational in days |
| Considerations | Less advanced session recording, limited customization |
| Best for | Mid-market companies needing full PAM without complexity |
BeyondTrust
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Market position | Strong endpoint privilege management |
| Strengths | Multi-platform support, workload identity management |
| Considerations | Tools not fully unified, agent-based deployment |
| Best for | Organizations with diverse endpoint environments |
HashiCorp Vault
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Market position | Developer-focused secrets management |
| Strengths | Dynamic secrets, CI/CD integration, cloud-native |
| Considerations | Not a full PAM solution, limited human-centric features |
| Best for | DevOps environments, often used alongside traditional PAM |
Implementation Checklist
Pre-Implementation
- Secure executive sponsorship
- Define program scope and objectives
- Inventory all privileged accounts
- Assess regulatory requirements
- Select PAM platform
- Plan phased rollout
Implementation
- Deploy PAM infrastructure
- Configure credential vault
- Set up automated rotation
- Implement JIT access workflows
- Enable session recording
- Integrate with identity providers
Operations
- Onboard highest-risk accounts first
- Train administrators and users
- Establish break-glass procedures
- Configure SIEM integration
- Implement monitoring and alerting
- Schedule regular access reviews
Continuous Improvement
- Track coverage metrics
- Review and close gaps
- Update policies as needed
- Expand to additional account types
- Regular vendor and control assessments
PAM implementation is not a one-time project but an ongoing program. The goal is Zero Standing Privilege where no one has permanent administrative access, and all elevation is time-bound, approved, recorded, and audited. Organizations that achieve this significantly reduce their attack surface and limit the blast radius of any compromise.