Organizations are increasingly reliant on complex systems and vast amounts of sensitive data, which makes them attractive targets for cybercriminals. However, while external threats are often in the spotlight, insider risks posed by privileged users who have elevated access to critical systems and sensitive information often goes unnoticed.
Privileged user monitoring has emerged as a crucial component of cybersecurity strategies, designed to mitigate the threats posed by both inadvertent errors and malicious intent from individuals within the organization.
What is Privileged User Monitoring?
Not everyone in an organization has high-level access to critical systems, network servers, and sensitive data. Those that do are potential risks, and privileged accounts need to be monitored.
Types of Privileged Users
Various positions of responsibility in an organization can be considered privileged. Often, they are roles closely associated with application, server, and data management.
Privileged access management (as opposed to management of standard users) can help spot unusual behavior, determine endpoint security risks, and prepare users for potential breaches. Seemingly insignificant actions can result in breaches and data loss, whether caused by malicious activity or bad practices.
Privileged users include:
- System administrators, who manage servers, network infrastructure, and deploy operating system updates.
- Database administrators, who maintain databases, manage performance, and oversee backups and data integrity.
- Network administrators, specialists with oversight across network infrastructure. They manage, service, and reconfigure routers, switches, and firewalls.
- Cloud administrators, who deal with any cloud-based resources and services used in an organization.
- Application administrators, whose main role is to deploy applications and updates and ensure correct configuration and user management therein.
By maintaining detailed records of privileged accounts, and reviewing these access levels, insider risks can be fully appreciated, contributing to a more robust security posture.
Risks and Threats Associated with Privileged Users
While privileged users are hired due to their skills, experience, and professionalism, risky behavior, abnormal behavior, and potential security breaches are inextricably linked to colleagues with privileged user access and access to servers.
Regular users rarely have access to administrative accounts or elevated privileges.
Insider threats are one issue, but “weak links” among the privileged accounts can become targets for external security threats and cyber-attacks.
Insider Threats
The risk of insider threats is arguably greater than from external agents. Malicious actions by those with privileged accounts can prove to be even more unpredictable than those launched by malicious actors and agents of chaos operating beyond your organization.
Whether caused by current or former employees and regardless of the action being unintentional or designed to specifically undermine the integrity of your data security, the results can be devastating.
Ponemon Institute’s 2020 Cost of Insider Threats report presents an average cost of incidents caused by an insider threat of $11.45 million. Data theft, unauthorized modifications to critical systems, and accidental data exposure can all have potentially business-threatening impacts.
Monitoring privileged user activities can spot potentially dangerous actions of disgruntled employees, mitigating these insider threats before damage can be caused.
Password management is only the first step in applying robust security controls to manage unauthorized activities. It is expected that Active Directory or compatible user access controls are in use.
External Threats and Cyber Attacks
While security threats such as cyber-attacks might seem more obvious, the methods used and potential impact are often underestimated.
Rather than forced entry, cyber attacks utilize common attack vectors such as phishing (and whale phishing, targeting key personnel), social engineering (essentially conning people), and credential theft. Multi-factor authentication can help defend against these vectors.
Exploiting vulnerabilities in software used on a single system or across the network can also provide unauthorized access. While the result is to gain unrestricted access to data, threat actors don’t necessarily find the data they want and leave. Exfiltration is online one option; another is to remain present, establish persistent access (with multiple entry points, including accounts), and move laterally across the network.
With a privileged user monitoring solution in place, unauthorized access attempts and anomalous behavior can be detected. Responses to these scenarios are often late, but by monitoring privileged user accounts, external attacks can be identified swiftly, and defended against.
Privileged user monitoring can be helped considerably by employing the principle of least privilege. No user, computer, or software, should be able to access any data or system it doesn’t need to. Following this principle minimizes the available attack surface for any threat actor.
Best Practices for Privileged User Monitoring
Various practices can be developed and implemented to ensure privileged users understand what is expected and how their actions are recorded.
From policies to managing monitoring more effectively, these best practices will enhance security and build trust with privileged users.
Implementing Monitoring Solutions
Various monitoring solutions focus on collecting and analyzing data in different ways.
For example, User Behavior Analytics (UBA) rely on machine learning algorithms to detect anomalies in normal user behavior, whereas Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems collate log data from sources (including the activities of privileged accounts) and analyze this data for anomalies.
A more hands-on oversight method is also available, in the form of Privileged Access Management (PAM) tools. These offer a centralized approach, with control and monitoring of privileged users.
Implementing solutions depends on a balanced approach, with scalability and integration as relevant to the decision as the impact of threats. Cloud AI-powered unified analytics platforms are increasingly popular, and simplify finding relevant activity in server logs.
Whatever analytical tools are selected, industry standards should be met, and regulations adhered to. Consult resources from bodies like the SANS Institute and the Center for Internet Security (CIS).
Establishing Monitoring Policies and Procedures
New policies and monitoring procedures should be developed in tandem with implementation. Frameworks, including the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO/IEC 27001, can be referred to.
Policies should clearly define and state how the organization will monitor usage and how privileged user activity auditing will impact teams. They should also outline how security incidents are responded to and what management responsibilities are for these scenarios. Normal access patterns (baseline behavior) should also be highlighted, perhaps as a starting point to ensure valuable employees are on board.
Particular focus should be paid to outlining the roles of privileged users, along with their roles and consequences for violating policy. (In all but the most innocuous issues, this would typically involve dismissal or cancellation of contract.)
Policy should also clarify how real-time monitoring procedures are implemented and how incidents are escalated. The personnel involved in escalation and any third-party agencies should also be highlighted here. Scenarios or case studies exploring an incident and how alerts and notifications inform relevant colleagues can help illustrate the reality of working under Privileged User Monitoring.
Approved policies should be regularly reviewed and updated following sign-off. This ensures industry best practices, and accommodates regulatory changes and evolving threats.
Monitoring Privileged User Activities
Session Monitoring and Recording
How should sessions be monitored and recorded? It’s wise to consult resources provided by organizations like ISACA and the Cloud Security Alliance to get an idea of best practices in this area.
All activities performed by privileged users are recorded in session monitoring and recording, including keystrokes and command executions. Screens are also captured in this process, with video recording of all access to systems enabling a forensic level of analysis.
Bandwidth monitoring is also a recommended to detect potential security issues. Unusual traffic may be innocuous, or it could have malicious intent.
Sessions should be recorded with solutions that support encryption, and the recording file should be stored securely. This is vital, as recording provides evidence for compliance audits and incident investigations. Privileged session recordings should be retained based on regulatory guidelines and organizational requirements.
User & Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA)
Analytics have become key to all areas of business, and user monitoring is no different.
Advanced User & Entity Behavior Analytics can highlight user activity, establishing “normal” behavioral baselines. Anomalies to these baselines can indicate threats, either in development, or in progress. This might include attempts at unauthorized access or privilege escalation, or even actual data exfiltration.
UEBA can also differentiate (or provide information to assist) between malicious activity and legitimate tasks.
Some UEBA solutions can be integrated with existing tools and systems, collating and reporting on log files, network activity, endpoint telemetry, and other critical assets. This could be anything from a user accidentally clicking on a phishing email to uploading privileged data to an unauthorized external location. Mobile device management tools can prove useful here, as can regular asset management routines. Ensuring devices do not remain on your network beyond the asset life cycle can improve security.
As with session monitoring tools, consult key organizations and vendors, like Gartner and Forrester Research. Take time to evaluate the right solution before implementing it, first on a test network and then incrementally extending it until the rollout is complete.
Compliance and Regulatory Requirements
Industry-Specific Regulations
Adhering to regulatory compliance is important, and can be vital to the successful implementation and use of privileged user monitoring software. Various compliance requirements should receive specific attention, including:
- Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Access to cardholder data environs by privileged users should be logged and monitored
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This relates to monitoring and auditing privileged user activities concerning electronic protected health information (ePHI).
- Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA). Federal agencies are required to monitor and audit privileged user activities.
Specific guidance and legal requirements for privileged user monitoring can be found by consulting organizations such as the PCI Security Standards Council and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Overseas users should consult local regulatory bodies.
Auditing and Reporting
The audit process and producing reports on the results are vital. Comprehensive logs should capture privileged and standard user activities, including all access attempts, access to files, changes to files and folders, and other related actions that could indicate potential threats.
These audit logs comprise vital data and should be carefully stored and analyzed. Their integrity is of supreme importance, so they should be handled only by named personnel to ensure integrity and avoid accusations of tampering.
Logged data should be suitable for report generation that demonstrates compliance with monitoring requirements (practices, incident response, remediation, etc.). Consult ISACA and the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) for guidance on auditing and reporting.
Integrating Privileged User Monitoring with Incident Response
Information security teams will need access to user monitoring records in the event of an incident. Complete and even partial log files can be used to determine how internal threats or weaknesses caused (or contributed to) the incident.
Detecting and Investigating Incidents
All personnel involved with Privileged Access Management should be familiar with best practice resources from SANS and NIST. These will underline the importance of key actions, such as integrating monitoring solutions with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) tools.
Similarly, effective incident response means leveraging collected data to detect potential breaches, suspicious activities, and violations of established policies. These logs can go beyond investigation, and enable root cause analysis of incidents.
Incident Remediation and Mitigation
With the wealth of information provided by user monitoring, and referring to the CERT/CC and SANS Institute for remediation and mitigation guidance, the scope of an incident can be identified, and containment strategies implemented by security teams.
Everything from detecting affected systems and compromised accounts to measuring the extent of data exposure can be established. Consequences can also be introduced, including revoking credentials to block users, isolating systems, and rolling out security measures (patches, updates, even complete removal of applications).
In addition to monitoring the network for residual threats or recurrences, remediation involves post-incident reviews and debriefing sessions. Based on lessons learned, incident response plans can then be updated and revised.
Monitor Privileged Users with Teramind
Teramind is the leading employee monitoring solution. Here’s how you can monitor privileged users with Teramind:
- Enhanced Security with Real-Time Monitoring: Teramind provides continuous surveillance of privileged users, ensuring any suspicious or unauthorized activities are immediately detected and addressed, safeguarding your critical assets.
- Comprehensive Activity Tracking: Capture and analyze detailed activity logs of privileged users, including application usage, file access, and keystrokes, to maintain an audit trail and ensure compliance with security policies.
- Customizable Alerts and Reporting: Set up tailored alerts and generate in-depth reports to quickly identify and respond to potential threats, helping you maintain a proactive security stance and streamline incident management.
- Seamless Integration and User-Friendly Interface: Teramind integrates smoothly with your existing systems and offers an intuitive dashboard, making it easy to deploy, configure, and manage privileged user monitoring without disrupting your workflow.
Conclusion
Like the best network security and integrity tools and practices, privileged user activity monitoring cannot succeed with a monolithic approach. Instead, it needs to be an additional philosophy that enhances existing processes. Personnel should be familiar with monitoring policies, accept their use, and understand the importance of their access permissions. User monitoring at all levels can deter threats and provide the necessary information to deal with the aftermath of successful attacks.
