Seven Bolt-Ons to Make Your Entra ID More Secure for Critical Sessions

Seven Bolt-Ons to Make Your Entra ID More Secure for Critical Sessions

December 9, 2024 at 07:07AM

The article emphasizes the importance of enhancing identity security with additional layers for privileged users, particularly for high-impact IDs. It outlines several strategies, including privilege elevation management, passwordless access, and securing automated machine connections, while highlighting the need for comprehensive monitoring and governance to prevent security bypasses.

### Key Takeaways from Meeting Notes on Identity Security / Passwordless

**Date of Meeting:** December 09, 2024
**Topic:** Importance of Additional Security Layers in Identity Security

1. **Trend in Identity Security:**
– Growing focus on securing identities accessing organizational resources is essential for a sound security model.

2. **Integration with IAM Solutions:**
– Native integration with identity and access management (IAM) solutions, like Microsoft Entra ID, enhances security for privileged access.
– Real-time updates on identities, groups, and permissions based on changes in IAM.

3. **Privilege Elevation and Delegation Management (PEDM):**
– Enables granular controls for privileged tasks, ensuring least privilege and limited access for specific tasks or timeframes.

4. **Discovery and Management of Privileged Accounts:**
– Capability to discover privileged accounts across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments.

5. **Additional Security Controls:**
– **Isolated Identity Sources:** Avoids third-party identity integration when necessary.
– **External Admin Authorization:** Provides an additional verification step for accessing critical targets.
– **Path to Passwordless and Keyless Operations:** Reduces risks associated with shared credentials.

6. **Security for Hybrid Cloud Environments:**
– Centralized access management across IT and OT environments with multi-protocol support.
– Auto-discovery of assets facilitates easier access management.

7. **Preventing Credential Bypass:**
– SSH keys represent a major vulnerability due to their unmanaged status, making them susceptible to bypassing privileged access management (PAM) tools.

8. **Passwordless and Keyless Authentication:**
– Transitioning to a credential-free environment prevents theft and misconfiguration of credentials.

9. **Securing Automated Connections:**
– Addressing machine-to-machine interactions where traditional PAM tools fall short, particularly in managing SSH keys.

10. **Comprehensive Audit and Monitoring:**
– The necessity for robust audit trails and monitoring that IAMs like Entra ID currently lack, including features for compliance and abnormal behavior detection.

11. **Quantum-Safe Connections:**
– Future-proof security measures against quantum computing threats, ensuring data transmission security over open networks.

12. **PrivX Zero Trust Suite:**
– Designed to extend the functionality of IAM solutions for high-impact users, ensuring robust security measures that complement existing systems.

**Next Steps:**
– Contact SSH Communications Security for a demonstration of the PrivX Zero Trust Suite and its capabilities to enhance security for privileged connections.

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