What is PAM?
Privileged Access Management
A security discipline and set of tools that control, monitor, and audit access for accounts with elevated privileges, such as system administrators, database administrators, and service accounts.
PAM addresses the outsized risk posed by privileged accounts. A compromised standard user account can access that user's data; a compromised domain admin account can access everything. PAM solutions provide a secure vault for privileged credentials, enforce just-in-time (JIT) access with automatic credential rotation after use, record privileged sessions for audit, and detect anomalous privileged activity.
The intersection with SASE is at the access control layer. ZTNA policies should differentiate between standard and privileged access. Administrators connecting to production infrastructure through the SASE platform should face additional controls: mandatory MFA step-up, session recording, time-limited access windows, and device posture requirements that exceed those for standard users. Some SASE vendors integrate with PAM vaults to broker privileged sessions directly through the ZTNA platform.
Service accounts and machine identities are the most overlooked PAM gap. These accounts often have broad permissions, static credentials, and no MFA. In a SASE context, service-to-service communication through the platform should be governed by the same least-privilege principles applied to human users. API keys and service account credentials should rotate automatically and be scoped to the minimum required permissions.
The framework of policies, processes, and technologies that manages digital identities and controls what resources each identity can access across an organization's systems.
An authentication method requiring two or more independent verification factors (something you know, have, or are) to prove identity before granting access.
A security model that eliminates implicit trust based on network location, requiring continuous verification of identity, device posture, and context for every access request.
The technique by which attackers move from an initially compromised system to other systems within a network, escalating privileges and expanding access to reach high-value targets.
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