As cyberattacks become increasingly common, insurance companies are raising the bar for cyber insurance policies. Last year, ransomware attacks rose by 80%, leading to a record number of claims. To prevent ransomware and other cyberattacks, underwriters are now requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all admin access in a network environment, as well as protection for all privileged accounts, such as service accounts. However, it can be difficult for organizations to identify MFA and privileged account protection gaps, as there is no utility that can provide this visibility. This article will discuss the identity protection challenges and suggest steps organizations can take to overcome them. Underwriters are now requiring MFA for cloud-based email, remote network access, and all administrative access for network infrastructure, workstations and servers, directory services, and IT infrastructure. The biggest challenge is defining administrative access, as it is not always easy to compile an accurate list of every admin user. This includes former employees who may have left without deleting their admin accounts, as well as users with admin access privileges who may not have been officially assigned as admins. To qualify for a cyber insurance policy, organizations must also maintain a list of all their service accounts. These accounts are often targeted by threat actors due to their privileged access, and it can be difficult to determine how many exist and what their activities are. To close these gaps in identity protection, organizations need to sign up for a free identity risk assessment. This will allow them to see all their users and their level of privilege, identify any areas lacking MFA coverage, and get a picture of other identity protection weaknesses. The assessment will also reveal how users are gaining access and identify any attack surfaces not currently being protected, such as command-line interfaces and service account authentications. With actionable recommendations, organizations will be able to improve their security posture and meet the new cyber insurance requirements.
This Cyber News was published on thehackernews.com. Publication date: Tue, 07 Feb 2023 13:22:03 +0000