Keeper Security

As cyber attacks become faster, more widespread, and increasingly automated through artificial intelligence, organizations are finding it challenging to keep up with the wave of modern threats. Privileged accounts, which provide access to the most sensitive systems within an organization, continue to be prime targets. However, traditional security tools often fail to detect sophisticated insider threats and session-level anomalies until after a breach has occurred.

Keeper Security : the leading cybersecurity provider of zero-trust and zero-knowledge Privileged Access Management (PAM) software that protects passwords and passkeys, privileged accounts, secrets, and remote connections, introduces KeeperAI, a new agentic AI feature for its KeeperPAM^® platform. KeeperAI offers real-time session monitoring and analysis, automated threat classification, and instant response to counter cyber attacks and suspicious behavior, customizable to fit an organization's specific needs.  

"The reality is that cyber threats are no longer just a question of if, but when and how quickly you respond," said Craig Lurey, CTO and Co-founder of Keeper Security. "KeeperAI's agentic capabilities allow you to automatically monitor, identify and mitigate threats in real time, shutting down high-risk sessions, unauthorized access or improper account elevations."

With the growing complexity of IT environments and the rise in the number of privileged accounts, organizations encounter numerous challenges in managing privileged access, including an increased risk of security breaches. Privileged Access Management (PAM) aids large organizations in preparing for expansion and security risks by mitigating insider threats, enforcing the principle of least privilege across all systems, and offering centralized control and visibility over privileged accounts.

Here are seven key benefits of implementing PAM in large organizations. 

1. Reduces the risk of insider threats and credential-based attacks

As an organization expands, the number of employees, contractors, and third-party vendors rises, along with the quantity of privileged accounts. The more privileged accounts there are, the higher the likelihood of misuse—either by malicious insiders or by individuals who accidentally disclose sensitive information. Moreover, the increasing number of privileged accounts broadens an organization’s attack surface for external threats. Credential-based attacks, such as phishing and brute force attacks, become more frequent as cybercriminals focus on these high-value accounts. 

How PAM reduces insider threats and credential-based attacks:

• Session monitoring: PAM offers session monitoring, enabling administrators to oversee, manage, and document privileged sessions in real time. This allows IT and security teams to detect unusual or unauthorized activities as they occur. If needed, they can pause or end a session immediately to avert potential harm.

  
  

• Real-time alerting: PAM solutions can be set up to send alerts based on specific user actions or system events. This feature is especially helpful for identifying suspicious behavior by users with legitimate access, which can often resemble normal activity. 

• Credential vaulting: PAM provides a secure, encrypted vault for storing privileged credentials. Instead of revealing the actual credentials, it injects them on the user’s behalf during a session to ensure security. 

2. Enforces least privilege across the enterprise

As reported in Keeper’s 2024 Global Survey Report, 40% of organizations faced a cyber attack initiated by an employee. This underscores the necessity of managing internal access, particularly in large organizations where privileged access is more prevalent. Without the proper application of least privilege, users might have access to more than required, a situation known as privilege creep. This leads to excessive permissions, increasing the risk of insider threats and providing cybercriminals with more opportunities to exploit if an account is compromised. 

How PAM enforces least privilege:

• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): PAM grants access based on user roles, each with clearly defined responsibilities and permissions. RBAC ensures users operate only with the minimum access necessary to perform their jobs.

• Just-in-Time (JIT) access: PAM can give users temporary access to entire systems or resources. Once the task is completed or the session expires, access is immediately revoked. JIT access prevents users from retaining permanent access or accumulating excessive privileges.

• Privileged Elevation and Delegation Management (PEDM): PAM with PEDM features allows users to perform specific administrative tasks by temporarily elevating privileges for the duration and scope of the task, without granting full system access.

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3. Simplifies compliance with regulations

Larger organizations are subject to a wider range of compliance requirements due to the volume of customer data they manage. Regulatory compliance is not only a legal requirement but is also essential for maintaining stakeholder trust and operational integrity. Common industry regulations, such as Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), require strict oversight of privileged accounts. These standards are designed to ensure sensitive data is handled properly and often mandate logging and auditing of privileged access. Failure to comply can result in legal consequences, reputational damage and costly fines. 

How PAM simplifies compliance:

• Session recording and logging: PAM records detailed logs of user sessions, giving IT and compliance teams a clear audit trail for reviewing and analyzing user activity. These recordings can also serve as evidence during audits. 

• Automates compliance reporting: Instead of manually compiling data, PAM can collect and organize session recordings into ready-to-use formats. This streamlines audit preparation and helps IT and compliance teams more efficiently demonstrate adherence to regulatory standards.

  
  

4. Centralizes control and visibility

Large organizations frequently face challenges in maintaining adequate oversight of privileged accounts, particularly when these accounts are distributed across various systems, platforms, and environments. Without comprehensive visibility, it becomes challenging to determine who holds privileged access, what they are accessing, and whether those actions are authorized. This absence of transparency and centralized control can result in inconsistent access and heighten an organization's risk of security vulnerabilities.

How PAM centralizes control and visibility:

• Consolidates privileged access into a unified platform:The best PAM solutions centralize the management of all privileged access through a single platform, making it easier for organizations to enforce consistent security policies, regardless of user or system location.

• Session monitoring: IT admins can monitor all privileged sessions in real time with PAM. If suspicious activity is detected, they can pause or terminate sessions immediately, enabling a rapid response to potential security incidents. 

  
  

5. Improves operational efficiency

Manually managing privileged access becomes complex and time-consuming as an organization expands, especially as more users require varying levels of elevated access. IT and security teams often complete repetitive, tedious tasks such as provisioning and deprovisioning accounts, resetting passwords and managing access rights. Having to do these tasks manually not only slows down operations but also increases the risk of human error, potentially leading to misconfigurations or overlooked permissions. 

How PAM improves operational efficiency:

• Automates access provisioning and deprovisioning:PAM systems assign and revoke access based on predefined roles and policies. When a user is onboarded, changes roles or leaves the organization, access is automatically updated, eliminating manual IT processes and ensuring consistent enforcement of access policies.

• Automates credential rotation: PAM automatically rotates passwords, SSH keys and other privileged credentials, securely storing them in an encrypted vault. This allows IT teams to focus on higher-value tasks instead of manually updating credentials.

• Supports Single Sign-On (SSO): PAM integrates with SSO providers to streamline authentication across systems. This reduces password fatigue, minimizes reset requests and accelerates access to resources.

6. Secures remote and third-party access

As more organizations have shifted to remote work and rely on third-party vendors for services like cloud storage, IT support and data management, their exposure to security risks increases. Remote employees and external vendors often operate outside an organization’s traditional security perimeter. According to Medium, 61% of companies reported experiencing a third-party data breach in 2023. Without properly managed access controls, organizations can suffer significant compliance violations and data breaches.

How PAM secures remote and third-party access:

• Enforces Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): PAM enforces MFA to verify a user’s identity before granting privileged access. Even if credentials are compromised, MFA reduces the risk of unauthorized access by ensuring that only authenticated users can initiate privileged sessions. 

• JIT access for third-party users: PAM grants temporary, task-specific access to third-party users only when needed. Access is automatically revoked after the session ends, preventing unauthorized, standing access.

• Secure tunneling: Some PAM solutions, like KeeperPAM®, establish a secure, encrypted connection between the client and the target resource, without exposing credentials or requiring a Virtual Private Network (VPN). This ensures that all data transmitted during a remote session is protected with end-to-end encryption, stopping it from being intercepted by an unauthorized user. 

• Enables Remote Browser Isolation (RBI): PAM provides a secure, isolated browser environment for users accessing internal systems remotely. This protects both the user’s device and the corporate network from potential threats or malware. 

  
  

7. Scales with growth and complexity

As businesses expand, they often adopt a mix of on-premises, hybrid and cloud environments to support their operations. However, managing privileged access across these environments is challenging, as each platform uses different tools, access protocols and security policies. According to Keeper Security’s Insight Report, 82% of respondents believe they would be better off moving their on-premises PAM solution to the cloud. This shift could help organizations establish more consistent and secure access controls across all environments. 

How PAM scales with growth and complexity:

• Centralizes access control and policy management:The best PAM solutions allow organizations to manage privileged accounts across on-premises, hybrid and cloud environments from a unified system. It enforces consistent security controls regardless of where resources reside, helping reduce misconfigurations, prevent privilege sprawl and maintain consistent enforcement of security policies across all systems.

  
  

Choose KeeperPAM for your large organization

For large and growing organizations, implementing a PAM solution is important for maintaining strong security and operational efficiency. PAM gives organizations the visibility, security and control they need – all within a single, unified platform. 

Built on a zero-trust and zero-knowledge architecture, KeeperPAM offers advanced features like credential vaulting, JIT access, session monitoring and full session recording. These capabilities help reduce security risks and maintain full visibility over all privileged activity, while also streamlining access management across complex infrastructures. 

KeeperPAM is a unified, user-friendly platform designed to secure and manage access to your organization's vital resources, such as servers, databases, and web applications. Its primary aim is to mitigate the risk of cyberattacks, which frequently target highly-privileged accounts. In summary:

* Regulates who can access various systems, including both cloud and on-premise infrastructure.

* Implements a "zero-trust" strategy, meaning it assumes no user or device is trustworthy by default, granting access only after verification.

* Streamlines security by replacing multiple complex, costly, and hard-to-integrate legacy solutions with a single platform.

* Enhances visibility by monitoring and reporting all user activity for security audits and compliance.

The platform is cloud-native and employs zero-knowledge security (only users know the secrets and Keeper does not), integrating several essential security functions in one solution:

* Enterprise Password Management

* Secrets Management

* Connection Management

* Zero-Trust Network Access

* Remote Browser Isolation.

https://www.keepersecurity.com/