BeyondTrust Solves the Problem of Remote Privileged Password Changes

BeyondTrust^®, the global cyber security company dedicated to proactively eliminating data breaches from insider privilege abuse and external hacking attacks, today announced that the newest versions of PowerBroker for Windows and PowerBroker Password Safe have the ability to integrate to create an enhanced least privilege experience for IT staff and end users. As organizations try to balance security and productivity to remain competitive, these solutions help prevent the abuse of privileged credentials while shortening access request processes.

Despite the benefits afforded by enterprise password management and least privilege technologies, each has its shortcomings as isolated solutions. Updating passwords for intermittent, remote or mobile systems remains a challenge for customers who need to conduct business while on the move. Without instant updates, the capabilities and benefits of enterprise password managers are quickly negated. And in some cases, the only way for privilege management tools to properly elevate application privileges is to use a real username and password combination with administrator permissions. This problem then requires the distribution of these credentials to users, which defeats the purpose of least privilege policies.

To overcome these obstacles, PowerBroker for Windows 6.7 now integrates with Password Safe 5.4 to create an industry-unique approach to solving remote password change challenges and elevation of applications for real user credentials. The result is a process for account password changes at any time, in any location, and to overcome the limitations of network segmentation. The integration can process username and password combination requests and “Run As” commands with no user intervention. This technique allows instant access to applications and never exposes the username or password to the end user. The result is quicker access to critical applications and reduced security risk.

“In our forthcoming survey, findings reveal that more than a quarter of organizations still have no controls over access privileges,” said Marc Maiffret, chief technology officer of BeyondTrust. “While companies realize tools are available to reduce their security risk related to privilege management, many feel that implementation has an adverse effect on employee productivity. With our integration of privilege management and enterprise password management solutions, we can address these challenges to provide ease of mind for stakeholders while facilitating employee productivity.”