Why Cybersecurity Strategy Must Start With Identity
In today's digital age, the concept of security has evolved far beyond the traditional boundaries of firewalls and antivirus software. With the ongoing movement towards digital transformation, cloud adoption, hybrid work environments and increased business interconnectivity, workforce identity tools have emerged as the new perimeter. This shift has made identity-first security a core component of modern security initiatives, such as zero trust architecture and cloud-first strategies.
The identity crisis: Breaches leveraging employee identity
According to Cisco Talos, 80% of security breaches today leverage compromised employee identities. The trend continued in their most recent quarterly threat trends report which highlighted identity and improper use of MFA as key vectors for attack. These findings are not surprising, given that identity technology, which originated in IT, has become increasingly complex over the past decade. Identity sprawl, where organizations have a diverse array of users, including employees, contractors and partners accessing corporate resources, is a common issue. Managing these diverse sets of users with multiple accounts can be challenging, especially if multiple identity stores and identity providers are involved.
Attackers are exploiting this complexity to gain unauthorized access to company environments, bypassing commonplace security measures.
Traditionally, organizations have relied on strong authentication requirements, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), to address compromised access. However, attackers have become adept at finding the gaps where MFA is not required or subverting MFA altogether through technical mechanisms like adversary-in-the-middle or even just particularly nuanced social engineering.
The need for a holistic identity security program
To effectively combat identity-based threats, organizations must implement a comprehensive identity security program. The first step in this program is gaining visibility across the entire identity ecosystem. This is a larger ask than may seem apparent — identity infrastructure has many components and the relationships between accounts and access is often hard to parse. But the benefits of investing in cross-platform visibility are tangible and measurable.
To start, this visibility enables proactive measures known as Identity Security Posture Management (ISPM). ISPM initiatives include efforts like ensuring widespread adoption and usage of MFA and cleaning up dormant or inactive digital identities to prevent their exploitation by attackers. According to Cisco Identity Intelligence, 24% of user accounts are inactive or dormant, and 40% of accounts lack strong MFA. Addressing these posture gaps is crucial for strengthening defenses and reducing the risk of breaches.
Identity Threat Detection & Response: Limiting the blast radius
A robust identity security program also includes dedicated Identity Threat Detection & Response (ITDR). The problem with traditional Threat Detection & Response solutions is their generality and primary focus on non-identity infrastructure components. Typically, security operations tools focus on the endpoint or network without the context they need to effectively detect identity threats. Moreover, the detection logic leveraged within these tools often assumes endpoint or network compromise and can miss the patterns associated with identity-based threats.
By implementing threat detection and response that is dedicated to identity as a vector, organizations will limit the blast radius and accelerate remediation actions. ITDR ensures that organizations can quickly detect and respond to identity-based threats, minimizing the impact on their operations.
Moving beyond authentication
In conclusion, the rise of identity security necessitates a shift beyond relying solely on authentication to address compromised identities. Organizations must implement robust and holistic identity security programs that encompass visibility, posture management, and threat detection and response. By doing so, they can effectively protect their digital frontiers and ensure the security of their operations in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.
As identity continues to be the most important perimeter, it is imperative for organizations to stay ahead of attackers by adopting comprehensive identity security strategies. This approach not only enhances security but also improves user experience and delivers significant financial benefits. The time to act is now, and the path forward is clear: Embrace identity security as a cornerstone of your organization's defense strategy.
To learn more about building a comprehensive identity security program, learn more in our ebook Building an Identity Security Program.