By evaluating identity and network access management, companies gain benefits that far outweigh any disadvantages.
However, organizations must consider some identity and network access management risks when designing cybersecurity implementation in order to ensure continuous maintenance of protection.
We've separated some of the most common risks associated with identity and access management deployments that enterprises need to be aware of.
The Top 7 Risks of Identity and Access Management
1. Centralized management creates a single, centralized target
As companies begin to centralize the management of usernames and authentication mechanisms, the process creates a much larger, centralized security target.
Therefore, greater care must be taken to properly secure an identity and access management platform using various network-based security tools.
2. Improper network management / application / data access
Another potential mistake is the management ofrole-based access control ( RBAC ) within an organization.
RBAC is a method used by administrators to group multiple users into groups based on their need to access similar resources. While using access groups is a great way to reduce the number of access policies that need to be created and maintained, many organizations group too many users into a single group.
The result is that some users gain access to applications and services that they do not need. At best, this leads to a situation where the user's access is not as restricted as it could be.
At worst, this can result in users having inadequate separation of duties, which can lead to access control compliance violations.
3. Who forms access rules? IT vs. business leaders
While the IT department may have a pretty solid understanding of what kind of access users, groups, and departments need, it is highly recommended to get input from business or department leaders to create the policy.
This can help identify who needs access to which applications and corporate data.
4. Insufficient process automation
When it comes to access management, there are many moving parts. If repetitive processes are not automated, this can lead to a situation where administrators neglect to run certain processes in a reasonable amount of time.
User deletion is a perfect example of where lack of automation can lead to security threats for employees who leave the company, but their authentication and access to corporate resources remain in place.
5. Failure to plan for scalability
As businesses grow and technology needs change, identity and access management platforms must scale to meet the new demands.
In certain situations, products or deployment methodologies may limit the level to which a platform can scale.
6. Lack of management training
Identity and access management can consist of a complex set of processes.
Add to this the fact that automation simplifies repetitive processes and reduces the amount of administrator overhead required to perform common identity and access management tasks.
Because of the complexities and complications inherent in automation, administrators must be trained to set up the automation steps and ensure that they are working correctly.
Any errors in automation processes can negatively impact a large number of users.
7. Lack of access management auditing
As business turns to new goals and objectives, employees often demand modifications to access rules.
While adding a policy that grants access to new applications or data is usually not a problem, revoking access to previously needed resources is a common challenge.
If regularly scheduled audits are not performed, this can lead to a situation where users / groups have access to applications and data that they no longer need.
Effective processes to protect against these types of identity and access management risks are essential
This includes the necessary firewall and intrusion prevention system protections, as well as creating a strict access policy that significantly limits who has access to manage the platform.
Proper training and regular communication with business/department leaders are also important steps in keeping an identity and access management platform running smoothly and with processes that ensure employees receive the exact access they need and nothing more.