| name | performing-privileged-account-access-review |
| description | Conduct systematic reviews of privileged accounts to validate access rights, identify excessive permissions, and enforce least privilege across PAM infrastructure. Use when conducting systematic reviews of privileged accounts to validate access rights,. |
| domain | cybersecurity |
| subdomain | identity-access-management |
| tags | ["pam","access-review","privileged-accounts","least-privilege","compliance","audit","identity-governance"] |
| version | 1.0 |
| author | oyi77 |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| nist_csf | ["PR.AA-01","PR.AA-02","PR.AA-05","PR.AA-06"] |
Performing Privileged Account Access Review
Overview
Privileged Account Access Review is a critical identity governance process that validates whether users with elevated permissions still require their access. This review covers domain admins, service accounts, database administrators, cloud IAM roles, and application-level privileged accounts. Regular access reviews are mandated by SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and SOX compliance frameworks, typically required quarterly for high-privilege accounts.
When to Use
Trigger phrases:
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"performing privileged account access review"
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"Conduct systematic reviews of privileged accounts to validate access rights, ide"
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When conducting security assessments that involve performing privileged account access review
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When following incident response procedures for related security events
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When performing scheduled security testing or auditing activities
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When validating security controls through hands-on testing
Prerequisites
- PAM solution deployed (CyberArk, BeyondTrust, Delinea, or equivalent)
- Identity governance platform (SailPoint, Saviynt, or equivalent)
- Complete inventory of privileged accounts across all platforms
- Defined access review policy with SLAs and escalation procedures
- Designated reviewers (account owners, managers, security team)
Core Concepts
This section covers core concepts for performing privileged account access review.
- Ensure all prerequisites are met before proceeding
- Follow the documented workflow steps in sequence
- Record results and any anomalies encountered during this phase
Privileged Account Categories
| Category | Examples | Risk Level | Review Frequency |
|---|
| Domain Admins | Enterprise Admin, Domain Admin, Schema Admin | Critical | Monthly |
| Service Accounts | SQL service, backup agents, monitoring agents | High | Quarterly |
| Cloud IAM | AWS root, Azure Global Admin, GCP Owner | Critical | Monthly |
| Database Admin | DBA accounts, sa/sys accounts | High | Quarterly |
| Application Admin |
