SLED organizations handle large quantities of sensitive data—including the personal information of citizens, students, and employees, as well as critical infrastructure data. This makes them prime targets for cybercriminals seeking to steal, ransom, or manipulate valuable information. Cyberattacks on SLED entities can disrupt essential services, compromise data, and result in significant financial and reputational damage, making them lucrative entry points for widespread attacks. Since a single mistake can lead to the compromise of vast amounts of sensitive information in minutes, SLED entities need robust security measures to keep this data safe, maintain critical infrastructure, and protect people’s privacy.
This is where Privileged Access Management (PAM) for SLED comes into play. PAM offers powerful solutions and strategies to eliminate these rampant threats, ensuring that only the right people have access to vital data.
Read on to learn how PAM solutions can help SLED entities solve their specific cybersecurity challenges, and discover some best practices for getting started.
Understanding the Cybersecurity Challenges Facing SLED
SLED entities face a unique set of challenges when it comes to securing against modern day cyberthreats:Complex IT Environments
Most SLED organizations have large, diverse workforces that include contractors, part-time employees, and volunteers. As remote work and cloud services expand, many government entities face a proliferation of digital identities. This makes it a challenge to keep track of the number of identities, where these identities are located, and what privileges they possess. Other organizational factors can further complicate matters. For instance, SLED organizations often manage a mix of legacy systems and newer technologies, creating complex IT environments that are difficult to secure. The integration of various platforms and applications combined with the surging number of accounts and identities can also introduce security gaps, or Paths to Privilege™, that are easy for attackers to exploit.
Decentralized IT Governance
IT governance within SLED entities is often decentralized. Different departments or agencies each manage their own systems and security protocols, creating a lack of centralized oversight. This can lead to inconsistent security practices, allow paths to privilege to accumulate and remain undetected, and ultimately lead to an increased risk of breaches.
Limited Budgets and Resources
SLED entities are often faced with constrained budgets and lengthy expense approval processes, making it challenging to invest in comprehensive cybersecurity measures. Outdated systems and insufficient security protocols are common as a result, increasing attack pathways and the organization’s overall vulnerability to cyberattacks.
Cybercriminals are keenly aware of the vulnerabilities within SLED organizations and continuously seek opportunities to exploit them, most commonly by launching ransomware, malware, phishing, DDoS, and identity theft attacks. Once an attack allows the attacker to penetrate the environment, they can quickly navigate other security gaps within the organization to accrue privileges. Once they have privileged access, not only is it easier for the attacker to complete their nefarious objectives, but it’s also much harder to detect them.
According to industry research, nearly all damaging cyberattacks involve some level of privilege misuse—either in the initial breach or during lateral movements within the network. In a staggering 99% of penetration tests conducted by IBM’s X-Force Red, cloud identities were found to be over-privileged, allowing testers to easily breach cloud environments. Further, in 67% of cloud security incidents examined by Crowdstrike in their Cloud Risk Report, identity and access management (IAM) roles with elevated privileges existed beyond what was required—indicating an adversary may have subverted the role to compromise the environment and move laterally.
Why Privileged Access Management (PAM) Is Critical for Government Security
Privileged Access Management exists to combat growing modern threats, protect sensitive data, maintain operational continuity, and safeguard public trust. The rise in ransomware attacks on local governments, school systems, and public services demonstrates the urgent need to limit attackers' access if they breach initial defenses. PAM solutions do so by managing and monitoring privileged accounts, ensuring that access is granted only to those who need it and only for the duration necessary. This reduces the risk of over-privileged accounts being exploited by malicious actors.PAM helps SLED organizations fulfil several cybersecurity best practices, including:
- Protecting sensitive data and citizen information – Many PAM solutions enforce the principle of least privilege, only allowing users access to the specific data or systems they need. By implementing PAM, SLED organizations can ensure that only authorized personnel have access to critical systems and data, reducing the risk of over-exposure and potential data leakage.
- Reducing the potential for lateral movement – PAM solutions minimize the number of users with elevated access and establish just-in-time access (where privileged access is granted only when necessary and for a limited time). This greatly diminishes the opportunity for attackers to exploit privileged accounts for extended periods to move laterally.
- Complying with regulatory standards – For government entities, compliance with regulatory standards is critical. PAM solutions provide the monitoring and auditing capabilities needed to stay compliant with frameworks like CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services) for law enforcement data or FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) in educational institutions.
- Ensuring operational continuity – PAM helps safeguard essential functions by preventing unauthorized access to operational systems and limiting the potential for attacks to escalate into full-scale disruptions. In sectors like public health, transportation, and emergency services, PAM helps ensure that critical services remain accessible and secure in the face of a cyberthreat.
5 Actionable Steps for SLED Organizations
For SLED organizations looking to bolster their cybersecurity defenses with an effective PAM strategy, here are some actionable steps:
1. Conduct a comprehensive identity audit: Identify all privileged accounts and assess their current access levels and associated privileges across the organization. This will involve deploying tools that can discover and catalog all accounts, whether human or machine.
2. Implement least privilege and just-in-time access: Enforce strict access control policies that limit access to the bare minimum required for job functions. This includes implementing the least privilege principle and just-in-time access to limit the exposure of sensitive credentials
3. Deploy PAM solutions: Utilize advanced PAM tools that are advanced enough to enable continuous monitoring and auditing of privileged accounts. By continuously monitoring these accounts, organizations can quickly detect and respond to any anomalies or unauthorized access attempts. This proactive approach helps mitigate risks before they escalate into full-blown security incidents.
4. Regularly review and update access policies: Ensure that access policies are up-to-date and reflect current organizational needs.
5. Train employees on security best practices: Educate staff on the importance of privileged access management and how to recognize potential security threats.
By following these steps, SLED organizations can significantly enhance their cybersecurity defenses and protect themselves against the ever-present threat of cyberattacks.
Conclusion: PAM Enhances SLED Security
PAM is an indispensable tool in the cybersecurity arsenal of any SLED organization. By effectively managing and monitoring privileged access, organizations can protect their most critical assets from cyber threats. As the digital landscape continues to grow in complexity, PAM offers a way to maintain a secure and resilient cybersecurity posture that protects sensitive data, upholds operational continuity, and safeguards public trust.About the Author
VP of State, Local and Education at BeyondTrust
Marc Doniger, the SLED Director at BeyondTrust, is a seasoned leader driving long-term market and strategy for State, Local, Government, and Education sectors. With over 20+ years of customer-focused leadership in the security industry, Marc excels at creating profitable revenue streams through effective business strategies and operations. He possesses a deep understanding of critical business drivers across diverse markets and industries, consistently surpassing expectations and internal standards of excellence.
Marc's expertise spans a wide range of skills, including integrity, strategic planning, partnerships and alliances, business process improvement, P&L management, team building, leadership, intellectual horsepower, and adept prioritization in ambiguous situations. With extensive experience in both public and commercial sectors, particularly in K-12, higher education, and state and local government, Marc brings a comprehensive perspective to his role.
