Enterprise Password Vault
What is PPM?
Ever logged into a workstation and seen your own login name (such as "John_Doe") and wondered why there is also login option for "Administrator?" The answer: "Administrator" is a Privileged User, a powerful, pre-built account that can only be accessed by Privileged Passwords which in turn are:
- Found on virtually every piece of hardware and software in an organization
- Numerous; the average enterprise has tens of thousands of Privileged Passwords
- Extremely powerful, allowing a user to logon on anonymously and have complete control of the target system and full access to all of the information on that system
- Nearly impossible to disable, unlike a personal identity such as JDoe
- Shared, which means that the system does not track WHO logged in as an Administrator, merely that a login occurred.
- Addressed by, regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley 404, PCI and Basel II requiring, at a minimum that companies prove exactly who logs in to sensitive systems
- Time-consuming and costly to manually update
Privileged Password Management is the process through which an organization secures, manages and tracks all activities associated with the most powerful passwords within their organization. These Privileged Password accounts include Windows local and domain admins, UNIX root, Oracle system, SQL SA, Cisco enable, Help desk firecall IDs, Process and application IDs, and so on.
Covering 5 essential steps, effective Privileged Password Management solutions:
- Centralize and Secure Privileged Passwords
- Apply Policy to these Privileged Passwords based on the requester / role
- Personalize access to these Privileged Passwords
- Automatically Reset access to these Privileged Passwords
- Log and Report on all activities associated with these Privileged Passwords
Automated Privileged Password Management Solutions such as the Enterprise Password Vault™ are increasingly being deployed to address the shear number of privileged passwords within an organization and the potential security and compliance pitfalls they pose.
How many of the Privileged Passwords exist in most enterprises? Find out by reviewing the chart below, which was based on a survey of 140 IT Professionals...
Enterprise Password Overview
| Where does the password exist? | Examples | How many exist?* | What's the security Risk?* | Solutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Workstation | Login: Administrator | 5000 or more 40% of Enterprises have more than 5000 workers |
High 21% of admin passwords on workstations are never updated |
Manual Privileged Password Solutions |
| Servers | UNIX (Root), LINUX (Root) | 5000 or more 44% of enterprises have more than 500 servers, each with 1-5 administrative passwords |
High 13% of admin passwords on servers are never updated |
Manual Privileged Password Solutions |
| Routers | Cisco (Enable) | 100 or more 41% of enterprises have more than 500 servers, each with 1-5 administrative passwords |
High 13% of admin passwords on routers are never updated |
Manual Privileged Password Solutions |
| Databases | Oracle (System, Sys), Microsoft SQL Server (SA) | Hundreds 66% of enterprises report having more than 100 unique applications, including databases |
High 42% of admin passwords on software and databases are never updated |
Manual Privileged Password Solutions |
| Scripts connecting software applications | Sales tracking application to master database | Thousands Enterprises report having more than 100 apps, with 92% linked to at least one other app. Each unique link creates a unique password incident. |
High 42% of admin passwords on software and databases are never updated |
Manual Privileged Password Solutions |
*Based on Cyber-Ark Enterprise Password Survey 2006
Ready to discuss how Enterprise Password Vault can help your organization? Talk to one of our sales representatives.