Modern IT is innately complex, which leads to matching complexity in the security environment and indeed for managing privileged accounts.
Companies rely on multi-cloud and hybrid cloud deployments to get more flexibility and to enhance resilience. But the flipside of a distributed, decentralized IT approach is a variety of security models across platforms. That creates a broad attack surface, and a complex web of privileged accounts.
For example, with multi-cloud and hybrid environments, a company’s valuable assets are commonly handled by multiple public cloud providers (like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), while some key functions remain within a private cloud or even on-premises infrastructure.
The net result: identity sprawl and misconfiguration of privileges, all of which leads to a security and/or a compliance burden.
In this blog, we’ll cover the challenges of securing privileged accounts across multiple cloud platforms and on-premises systems, and outline practical solutions and practices that help organizations stay ahead of threats.
The critical role of PAM multi cloud
Complex security privileges requires pro-active, finely grained management and that’s why privileged access management (PAM) is such a key cornerstone of security in multi-cloud environments.
PAM encompasses the strategies, technologies, and processes used to control, monitor, secure, and audit all human and non-human privileged identities and activities. PAM matters because privileged accounts (like administrators, service accounts or root users) hold elevated permissions that grant and broad deep access to critical systems.
A compromised privileged account can grant attackers widespread system access, leading to catastrophic data breaches, system outages and operational disruptions.
As organizations migrate workloads to the cloud, the risk escalates. The dynamic and often ephemeral nature of cloud resources, coupled with the sheer volume of privileged credentials, makes effective PAM not just important, but critical.
Challenges of managing privileged access in multi-cloud environments
Managing privileged accounts in a relatively siloed, on-premises environment is challenging enough – employees come and go, and constantly upgrading and growing IT solutions commonly leave a legacy of excess and forgotten privileges.
These challenges multiply rapidly once we’re in the cloud, and even more so in multi-cloud or hybrid environments.
Complexity of diverse cloud architecture
Each cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.) has its own proprietary identity systems (e.g., Azure AD, AWS IAM), access protocols, APIs and security tools. Integrating a consistent PAM strategy across these disparate platforms and legacy on-premises systems is a significant hurdle due to different access protocols, APIs and authentication methods.
It mandates specialized knowledge of each platform and often leads to fragmented security controls anyway. Disparate identity systems commonly lead to inconsistent policy enforcement and increased administrative overhead.
Furthermore, traditional PAM tools are often designed for on-premises environments and a single identity system, so won’t be able to cope with this level of complexity.
Identity sprawl
The proliferation of human users, applications, services, containers, and virtual machines across multiple environments lead to an explosion of privileged accounts and credentials (passwords, SSH keys, API keys, secrets).
Maintaining visibility and control over this "identity sprawl" is difficult. Organizations often lack a complete inventory of privileged accounts, increasing the risk of orphaned accounts (accounts belonging to former employees or decommissioned systems) or excessive permissions going unnoticed.
Dynamic workloads and elastic environments
Cloud environments tend to be quite elastic. Resources (like virtual machines or containers) can be spun up and down rapidly based on demand. Securing privileged access for these ephemeral resources requires PAM solutions that can respond dynamically to discover, onboard, manage, and decommission privileges at scale, and at speed.
Modern PAM systems also play a role in securing access to containers and serverless functions, and the DevOps pipelines that manage them add another layer of complexity, as these technologies often operate outside traditional security perimeters.
Compliance and regulatory requirements
It’s common for organizations to be covered by various industry standards and regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, NIS2). Demonstrating compliance requires robust auditing and reporting capabilities to prove that access controls are consistently enforced.
That’s challenging in fragmented multi-cloud setups where getting a single pane of glass can be tough, making it difficult to compile the information to demonstrate compliance.
The shared responsibility model in the cloud means that while cloud vendors take strong security steps, customers still bear significant responsibility for securing their data, identities, and access within the cloud, and it’s tough to meet these obligations in the absence of a modern PAM system that understands hybrid environments.
Risk of insider threats and misconfigurations
Both malicious insiders misusing privileges and unintentional errors pose significant risks. Over-provisioned privileges, misconfigured security settings (like publicly exposed cloud storage buckets or databases), or simple human error (like mistyped commands during maintenance) can lead to major data breaches or service outages.
These mistakes are more likely when operations professionals divide their time across disparate platforms, all with different IAM systems that are not linked.
The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) consistently lists misconfiguration and insider threats among the top threats to cloud computing, highlighting the critical need for a centralized system that limits potential risks.
Key solutions for privileged access in multi-cloud
So, what can organizations do to address the complex PAM challenges of multi-cloud and hybrid environments? It requires modern PAM solutions and strategies specifically designed for complex, distributed environments:
- Centralized PAM: Implementing a unified PAM platform provides a single pane of glass for managing, monitoring, and auditing privileged access across the entire hybrid and multi-cloud estate. It overcomes fragmentation and supplies centralized credential vaulting (for passwords, secrets, keys). It builds up to consistent policy enforcement across different platforms.
- Just-In-Time (JIT) Access: Moving from standing privileges with permanent elevated access towards a JIT model reduces the attack surface because privileges are granted dynamically, only when needed for a specific task, and for a limited, predefined duration. It reduces the window of opportunity for attackers and the impact of compromised accounts or insider misuse.
- Integration with IGA: Integrating PAM solutions with identity governance and administration (IGA) platforms ensures that privileged access aligns with broader identity lifecycle management and governance policies. Think automated provisioning and deprovisioning of privileges based on user roles and employment. Privileges are granted based on a need-to-know basis and promptly revoked when no longer required.
- Cloud-Native PAM: PAM designed for the cloud is built to handle the scale, elasticity, and API-driven nature of cloud platforms. It means better scalability, faster deployment and native integration with the diverse IAM systems of cloud provider services e.g. AWS IAM or Azure AD). Cloud-native PAM also better manages dynamic environments e.g. containers and serverless functions.
Automation is also crucial for managing PAM effectively at the scale and speed of cloud environments.
This includes automating routine tasks like credential discovery and rotation, access request/approval workflows, session monitoring, and even response actions to detected threats. Leveraging AI and machine learning for user and entity behavior analytics can help proactively identify anomalous activities and potential credential misuse.
Real-time monitoring of all privileged sessions across all environments is essential too as it helps detect suspicious activity and ensures ongoing accountability.
Best practices for securing privileges in hybrid IT
PAM solutions are at the core of securing privileged accounts in hybrid and multi-cloud environments, but fundamental security best practices are just as important.
Adopt a Zero Trust security model
The core principle of Zero Trust is "never trust, always verify." Assume that no user or device, whether inside or outside the network perimeter, is inherently trustworthy.
Every access request must be rigorously verified before granting permissions, typically based on strong authentication and authorization policies. This involves continuous authentication throughout a session and context-aware access controls that consider factors like user identity, location, device health and the sensitivity of the requested resource.
Network segmentation, often achieved using secure gateways like proxy servers or bastion hosts, is also a key component to limit lateral movement.
Regular privilege review and cleanup
Privileged access should not be a "set it and forget it" configuration. Continuously discover and inventory all privileged accounts and assets across all environments.
Conduct periodic access reviews and audits to ensure privileges are still necessary and strictly aligned with the principle of least privilege (granting only the minimum permissions required for a role or task). Promptly remove or disable orphaned, unused, or unnecessary privileged accounts and entitlements to reduce the potential attack surface.
Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA)
MFA adds a critical layer of security, requiring users to provide multiple forms of verification before accessing privileged accounts or systems.
This significantly hinders attackers, as compromising a single factor (like a password) is no longer sufficient to gain access. Implement MFA universally for all privileged access, including access to cloud consoles, PAM solutions, servers and critical applications.
Consider using adaptive MFA, which can dynamically adjust authentication requirements based on the risk context of an access attempt (e.g., unusual location, time or requested action).
Focus on training and awareness
Technology and policies alone are not sufficient; the human element is critical. Regularly educate employees, IT administrators, developers, and relevant third-party vendors about PAM policies, secure access practices, the risks of social engineering attacks (like phishing), and the importance of promptly reporting suspicious activity.
Fostering a security-aware culture helps prevent accidental misconfigurations and reduces the likelihood of insider threats, whether intentional or inadvertent.
The future of PAM in multi-cloud environments
The field of privileged access management is continuously evolving to meet the demands of increasingly complex and dynamic IT environments. Several key trends and innovations are shaping its future in a world where hybrid and multi-cloud environments are becoming the norm.
Emerging trends
We are seeing a growing convergence between PAM and related security disciplines like Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) and Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM). This integration aims to provide a more holistic view of cloud security, correlating privileged access data with configuration security and entitlement management for better risk assessment and mitigation.
As DevOps practices become mainstream, securing the automated CI/CD pipeline is also becoming paramount. PAM solutions are increasingly focusing on managing secrets used by automation tools (like Jenkins, Ansible, Chef), enforcing least privilege for service accounts, and monitoring privileged activities within the DevOps toolchain to prevent pipeline poisoning or credential theft.
Innovations in PAM multi cloud solutions
AI and machine learning will play an even larger role in PAM. This includes enhancing user behavior analytics for more accurate threat detection, automating risk-based access decisions, predicting potential privilege misuse and simplifying administrative tasks through intelligent automation.
The scope of PAM is expanding beyond traditional IT infrastructure. There is a growing need to secure privileged access in Operational Technology (OT) environments (industrial control systems) and across the vast landscape of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which present unique security challenges. PAM solutions are adapting to provide visibility and control in these non-traditional areas.
Building resilience with modern PAM in multi-cloud
Securing privileged access remains a critical imperative as organizations navigate the complexities of multi-cloud and hybrid IT.
By understanding the increasingly complex challenges, leveraging modern PAM solutions and best practices like Zero Trust, and keeping an eye on future trends, businesses can effectively mitigate risks, ensure compliance and build a resilient security posture for the future.
