What is just-in-time access?

Just-in-time access is a Privileged Access Management (PAM) practice where human and non-human users obtain elevated privileges in real-time for a specified period and to perform a specific task. This ensures that all authorised users can access privileged systems, applications and data only when they need it. Instead of granting always-on or standing privileges, organisations can use just-in-time access to limit access to specific resources and prevent privilege abuse from internal and external threat actors.

Keep reading to learn more about just-in-time access and how you can use it to protect your organisation’s network.

How just-in-time access works

When a human or non-human user needs privileges to access business-sensitive resources, they will make a request to the administrator or automated system. The request will then go through an approval process to verify whether the request for privileged access is valid or not. Once the request is approved, the administrator or automated system will grant the user just-in-time access, in which the user will have elevated privileges or access to a privileged account, for a limited time until the user finishes their task. Once the task is complete, the user logs off and then their access is revoked or deleted until they need it again.

The importance of just-in-time access

Just-in-time access is important to help enforce least privilege access. The principle of least privilege is a cybersecurity concept that grants users just enough access to an organisation’s network of systems and data to do their jobs and no more. Least privilege access separates and limits access to an organisation’s resources. Users can only access what they need to do their job and should not be able to access anything else unless it’s needed for a specific task and approved. With just-in-time access, organisations can grant users temporary privileged access and revoke it to ensure the fewest number of users can access their sensitive resources.

By using just-in-time access to support least privilege access, organisations can reduce their attack surface and secure their confidential data. An attack surface refers to the collection of possible entry points cybercriminals can use to gain unauthorised access to an organisation’s network. By limiting privileged access to a predetermined amount of time, organisations limit excessive access and reduce the possible entry points to their network. This ensures that an organisation’s confidential data is only accessed by authorised users, and only when necessary.

Types of just-in-time access

Here are the three types of just-in-time access that organisations can use to provide temporary privileged access.

Broker and remove access

Broker and remove access, also known as justification-based access, requires users to justify obtaining privileged access for a defined period. These users will have a standing, privileged shared account and credentials that are managed, secured and rotated in a central vault inaccessible to the user. This ensures that the privileged credentials are not abused.

Ephemeral account

Ephemeral accounts are one-time-use accounts to give users limited access to complete a specific task. Administrators will create short-lived, one-time-use accounts for low-level or third-party users to access a resource they need. Ephemeral accounts help give users temporary access until the task is completed. After the task is completed, the account is automatically disabled or deleted. This prevents organisations from giving low-level or third-party users access to sensitive resources for a long time which can easily be exploited.

Privilege elevation

Privilege elevation, also known as temporary elevation, is when a user requests to obtain higher levels of privileged access to perform a specific task. The request is approved and granted either by an automated system or manually by the administrator with specifics on how long the task will take to complete. Once approved, the user is enabled to access privileged accounts or run privileged commands for a limited amount of time. Once the time is up, access is removed from the user.

The benefits of implementing just-in-time access

Here are the benefits of implementing just-in-time access.

Improves security posture

Just-in-time access improves an organisation’s security posture by limiting access to sensitive resources and reducing the risks of security breaches. By limiting privileged access to an organisation’s sensitive resources, organisations can prevent privilege abuse by external threat actors and malicious insider threats. Just-in-time access ensures that users cannot abuse privileges and prevents them from moving laterally across an organisation’s network to gain access to highly sensitive systems, applications and databases.

Improves access workflow for administrators

With just-in-time access, administrators can improve access workflows by providing users with access to sensitive resources right when they need it, rather than having to go through a long review process to grant full access to standing privileged accounts. Just-in-time access helps automatically approve requests and revoke privileges.

Helps adhere to regulatory compliance requirements

Organisations need to adhere to industry and regulatory compliance requirements such as SOX and GDPR in which they need to monitor and audit the activity of privileged users. Just-in-time access limits the number of privileged users and provides organisations with an audit trail for all privileged activities.

How to implement just-in-time access

To implement just-in-time access, organisations need to follow these steps:

Maintain a standing, privileged shared account using an automated password vault that centrally manages and regularly rotates its credentials.
Create granular policies that require human and non-human users to provide specific details and justifications for requesting temporary privileged access to sensitive resources.
Grant temporarily elevated privileges to allow human and non-human users to access specific sensitive resources or run privileged commands for a limited period.
Record and audit privileges across all privileged accounts to detect and respond to suspicious behavior and unusual activity.