SectionIdentity and Access Mgmt
Technology category
PAM
PAM belongs to the Identity and Access Mgmt area. PAM protects privileged accounts, administrator access, service accounts, secrets, and sensitive operations. It includes password vaulting, secret rotation, session monitoring, just-in-time access, approvals, and audit of privileged actions.
Acronym Glossary
This glossary explains acronyms used in this part so the intended security function is clear.
- PAM
- Privileged Access ManagementControl and protection of privileged accounts, administrator access, and sensitive operations.
What This Technology Covers
PAM protects privileged accounts, administrator access, service accounts, secrets, and sensitive operations. It includes password vaulting, secret rotation, session monitoring, just-in-time access, approvals, and audit of privileged actions.
Why It Matters
It is essential where compromise of an administrator or standing privilege can quickly lead to control of the environment. Modern PAM should reduce standing privileges and support least privilege.
In practice, this is not only a technical function. It is a way to place the solution into a broader security architecture. Many organizations operate dozens of consoles and tools, so the challenge is also to understand which technology solves which type of risk.
This category helps name the problem precisely, narrow the list of relevant solutions, and distinguish technologies that may look similar at first glance. That is useful for partners and customers who already understand cybersecurity but need a clear map of the market and available portfolio.
Typical Use Cases
PAM is usually considered when an organization needs tighter control over a specific security layer within Identity and Access Mgmt. It can complement an existing architecture, replace an outdated tool, improve visibility, or consolidate functions currently split across multiple products.
Place In The Architecture
Within the broader Identity and Access Mgmt architecture, PAM should be assessed by how it connects to existing security and operational processes. Its practical value appears when the solution provides usable data, clear policies, understandable reporting, and integrations with existing tools.
When mapping this technology to SecTec portfolio vendors, it is important to consider not only the feature itself, but also deployment model, licensing, management level, supported platforms, and integration with adjacent areas. In a specific architecture, PAM may be a standalone platform, a capability, or part of a broader solution.
How To Assess The Technology
When selecting a solution, the most important assessment points are:
- which problem the solution covers and where its boundaries are
- whether it supports the organization's existing environment
- how it integrates with SIEM, SOAR, XDR, IAM, cloud, or ticketing
- what level of automation, reporting, and auditability it provides
- whether it reduces operational complexity or only adds another isolated console
Related Areas
Vendors From The SecTec Portfolio
Attack coverage and defensive context
MITRE ATT&CK® Enterprise version 19.1 is used as a reference model. The mapping is a SecTec expert interpretation and does not imply endorsement by MITRE.
Practical attack scenarios
- Phishing and identity abuseAn adversary manipulates a user, obtains credentials, or abuses a trusted account to gain access to the environment.
- Credential theftAn adversary obtains passwords, tokens, sessions, or other authentication material and uses it to expand access.
- Cloud and SaaS compromiseAn adversary abuses cloud identities, permissions, configurations, or application integrations to access services and data.
- Lateral movement inside the networkAfter initial access, an adversary discovers systems, accounts, and services and moves toward higher-value assets.
- Supply chain and trusted accessAn adversary abuses a supplier, software dependency, external access path, or trusted relationship to bypass normal controls.
- Attacks on OT and IoT environmentsAn adversary discovers industrial or connected devices, abuses remote access and network services, and threatens operational availability.
- Business Email Compromise and mailbox takeoverAn adversary takes over or impersonates a trusted email identity and abuses communications for fraud, payment diversion, data collection, or further phishing.
- Privilege escalation and persistenceAn adversary expands privileges, creates or modifies accounts and policies, and establishes repeatable access to systems, identities, or cloud environments.
- Insider threat and authorized access abuseAn insider or an adversary with a valid account abuses legitimate permissions to discover, copy, manipulate, or transfer sensitive data.
- BFLA – Broken Function Level AuthorizationA regular or unauthenticated user invokes an administrative or privileged API function that should not be available to them.
Relevant ATT&CK techniques
- T1078 · Valid AccountsDetect, Prevent, Respond
- T1098 · Account ManipulationDetect, Prevent, Respond
- T1133 · External Remote ServicesDetect, Prevent, Respond
- T1550 · Use Alternate Authentication MaterialDetect, Prevent, Respond
- T1556 · Modify Authentication ProcessDetect, Prevent, Respond