Privileged Access Management

Extra controls around high-risk, elevated-privilege accounts — the accounts that matter most if compromised.

What it is

Privileged Access Management (PAM) applies extra controls specifically to accounts with elevated privileges (admin accounts, database root, cloud org-admin) — since these accounts are disproportionately damaging if compromised.

Key points

Just-in-time privilege elevation: instead of an account holding standing admin access permanently, privileges are granted temporarily for a specific task and automatically expire — shrinking the window an attacker could exploit a compromised credential.
Credential vaulting: privileged credentials are stored in a vault and checked out (often with automatic rotation after use) rather than being known/memorized by a person long-term.
Session recording and monitoring: privileged sessions are often recorded and more closely monitored than standard user activity, given the outsized damage a misused privileged session can cause.
The core principle: the highest-privilege accounts deserve the strongest, most closely monitored controls — proportional to the damage a compromise of that specific account could cause.