In cybersecurity, administrative security plays a major role in the security of sensitive data and systems within an organization. This involves different controls and measures that serve to prevent unauthorized access, misuse, or destruction of information systems.
This article looks at two of the most important areas within administrative security: Administrative Personnel Controls and Privileged Account Management. Examples and scenarios of these concepts will be reviewed in real life, as this will help IT professionals in their study toward cybersecurity exams.
Administrative Controls of Personnel
Administrative personnel controls are the policies and procedures that dictate how personnel interacts with the information systems within an organization. Without such controls, unauthorized personnel can get access to sensitive data or resources.
Practical Application: A Very Important Case of Background Checks
Consider a financial institution dealing in sensitive information regarding customers. The organization has implemented stringent administrative controls on staff, including background checks of the employees before hiring. For instance, before granting the new applicant access to its financial systems, the institution checks the employment history, criminal records, and credit history.
This proactive measure prevents potentially dangerous individuals from being employed in addition to causing employees to think through a security mindset. This ultimately allows the organization to reduce the risk of insider threats because not just anyone can get into some very critical systems.
Scenario: Implementing Role-Based Access Control
Suppose there is an IT organization with numerous projects running under various teams. For extra security, an organization decides to deploy Role-Based Access Control. In this setup, rather than identifying employees individually, their access rights will be given in relation to the organization functions they are supposed to execute.
Example:
The software developer can be provided with the development environments, but the production servers will not be accessible.
The project manager can access information related to projects, but he will not be able to access sensitive financial data without any restriction.
In case an organization implements RBAC, it will minimize unauthorized access to data. At the same time, the employees will not have to face any problem in accessing the information that is necessary for them to perform their job. This control mechanism assists not only in enhancing the level of security, but also in simplifying the process of compliance with the various regulatory requirements.
Privileged Account Management
Privileged Account Management is one of the most critical procedures in securing accounts that have higher levels of access rights within an organization’s IT infrastructure. Quite often, these accounts represent the “keys to the kingdom,” providing users with deep functionality, such as being able to make changes in system configurations or access sensitive data.
Real-Life Example: Target Data Breach
The infamous Target data breach back in 2013 serves as a stark reminder of the importance of PAM. The attackers had accessed Target’s network through compromised credentials, initially provided by a third-party vendor. Once inside, they utilized the privileged accounts to dig deeper into the network without being noticed and stole credit card information of millions of customers. For that reason, organizations adopted several PAM solutions to protect privileged accounts. Thereby, multi-factor authentication became routine and auditing privileged account activities also became widespread to reduce threats against privileged accounts.
Scenario: Automating Privileged Access Management
Consider a business organization that has privileged accounts amounting to hundreds in different business lines. Performing these operations manually will no doubt be laborious and full of multiple errors. An automated PAM solution, in this regard, for convenience, can be used by the organization. It can have the following options:
- Automated Password Rotation: The passwords, when regularly changed for privileged accounts, limit the possibility of credential theft.
- Session Monitoring: Recording privileged sessions assists in detecting suspicious activities in real time.
- Access reviews: Routine audits ensure that only authorized individuals retain privileged access.
By automating the PAM processes, the organization will not only boost security but also ensure operational efficiency. It will now free the IT staff to perform more important work and carry out strategic initiatives rather than spend disproportionate amounts of time in managing privileged accounts.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, administrative security lies at the heart of protecting the organizational assets of modern times in a world where cybersecurity issues are becoming increasingly complex. An organization can surely reduce its vulnerability quotient against a cyber-attack by enforcing strong administrative controls around personnel and putting in place an effective Privilege Account Management strategy.
Understanding these concepts is key for a cybersecurity professional getting ready to take associated exams for future roles in IT security. This will mean taking an important step towards creating a secure environment that shall protect sensitive information from unauthorized access and breaches.