CyberArk

Digital transformation is expanding organizational attack surfaces through initiatives like digital workplace programs, DevOps, security automation, and the Internet of Things, creating new digital risks that must be managed without disrupting business operations. Security leaders are pressured to continuously improve security posture by identifying and implementing effective controls to prevent threats, especially as attacks grow in speed and sophistication. Privileged Access Management (PAM) has therefore become a central cybersecurity domain within Identity and Access Management, shifting from a password-efficiency toolset into a critical breach-prevention capability focused on privileged credentials and access across IT environments.

A foundational PAM approach distinguishes between Privileged Business Users who access sensitive information assets via business roles and application accounts, and Privileged IT Users who administer infrastructure via system, software, or operational accounts. Standard IAM tools are not designed for privileged scenarios like shared accounts, privileged activity monitoring, or controlled privilege elevation, making PAM tools essential for specialized controls. Modern PAM expectations now extend beyond credential vaulting, password rotation, and delegation into privileged user analytics, risk-based session monitoring, and automated threat protection that can respond without human intervention.

CyberArk, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Israel and the US, positions its Core Privileged Access Security solution as an integrated suite for on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments. It emphasizes risk-based credential security (continuous discovery, automated onboarding, and lifecycle-driven password rotation), privileged session isolation/recording for audit and forensics, and analytics-driven remediation where sessions receive risk scores and can be suspended or terminated automatically. Complementary offerings include Alero for VPN-less, passwordless, just-in-time third-party access using smartphone biometrics; Least Privilege Server Protection and Domain Controller Protection; Privilege Cloud for SaaS-first strategies; Endpoint Privilege Manager; and Application Access Manager for DevOps secrets. The primary tradeoff highlighted is implementation complexity driven by breadth and modularity.

• Emerging technology initiatives like digital workplace, DevOps, security automation, and the Internet of Things expand organizational attack surfaces.
• Privileged Business Users access sensitive assets such as HR records, payroll details, financial information, and intellectual property via business roles and application accounts.
• Privileged IT Users administer infrastructure using system accounts, software accounts, or operational accounts.
• Standard IAM tools do not provide capabilities such as managing access to shared accounts, monitoring privileged activities, or controlled elevation of privileges.
• CyberArk was founded in Israel in 1999 and is headquartered in Israel and the US.
• CyberArk’s Core Privileged Access Security solution is presented as a fully integrated suite for on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments.
• CyberArk’s credential security approach continuously scans environments to discover privileged credentials and can automatically onboard new accounts via a validation process.
• Passwords can be automatically rotated at regular intervals determined by the lifecycle of the account.
• Privileged sessions can be assigned a risk score and automatically suspended or terminated if a threshold is reached or a particular command is executed.
• CyberArk Alero supports just-in-time remote access using smartphone biometrics and operates without VPN, agents, or passwords.

• “To remain relevant, organizations must reinvent themselves by being agile and more innovative.”
• “Emerging technology initiatives such as digital workplace, DevOps, security automation and the Internet of Things continue to expand the attack surface of organizations as well as introduce new digital risks.”
• “To stay competitive and compliant, organizations must actively seek new ways of assessing and managing the security risks without disrupting the business.”
• “PAM has evolved into a set of crucial technologies for preventing security breaches and credential thefts.”
• “Available Identity and Access Management (IAM) tools are purposely designed to deal with management of standard users’ identity and access, and do not offer the capabilities to manage privileged access scenarios…”
• “A successful attack can be conducted in minutes; therefore, a PAM solution must be capable of thwarting this attack without human intervention.”
• “Locking buyers at an early stage into one PAM ecosystem is a smart move as it becomes harder to change the more you invest.”
• “One of the core features is the automated remediation built in when Privileged Session Management is integrated with CyberArk’s threat analytics.”
• “Privileged sessions are automatically assigned a risk score.”
• “The biggest challenge CyberArk still bears is complexity.”