It’s the alert no one wants to see: unusual activity on a critical server. For many IT teams, this is where the scramble begins. But what if you could trade chaos for control? Here’s what a security incident looks like with BeyondTrust in place.
The Initial Breach: An Attacker Gains a Foothold
Most major
cyberattacks don’t start with a bang. They start quietly. An attacker uses a phishing email to steal an employee's login details, giving them their first entry point into the network. This initial access is often a low-level account with limited permissions, but it’s enough to get inside the walls. The attacker’s next move is predictable: they will try to move laterally across the network, looking for a way to escalate their privileges. Their goal is to find an account with administrative rights, which would give them the 'keys to the kingdom'—the ability to access sensitive data, install malware, or cause widespread damage. This is the first critical moment where the incident response narrative can change dramatically. Without proper controls, this lateral movement can go undetected for weeks or months, allowing the threat to embed itself deep within the IT environment.
Containment: Shutting Down Lateral Movement
This is where a Privileged Access Management (PAM) platform like BeyondTrust makes its first stand. Instead of letting the attacker probe the network freely, BeyondTrust enforces the principle of least privilege. This means every user and account—including the one the attacker just compromised—has the bare minimum access required for their job. The attacker, expecting to find open doors, instead finds walls. Any attempt to access a system they aren't explicitly authorized for is blocked and logged instantly. Furthermore, BeyondTrust’s Endpoint Privilege Management removes local admin rights from user workstations, which is a common vector for escalating an attack. By containing the threat to the initial point of entry, the platform prevents the attacker from beginning their dangerous journey through the network. The breach is isolated before it can become a catastrophe.
Investigation: Reviewing the Full Session
With the immediate threat neutralized, the security team’s job shifts to investigation. The question is no longer 'What are they doing right now?' but 'What did they try to do?'. BeyondTrust provides a definitive answer through its comprehensive session monitoring and recording capabilities. Every action the attacker attempted after logging in—every command typed, every file accessed, every failed login to another system—is recorded in a detailed audit trail. Security teams can watch a video playback of the entire session, giving them undeniable proof of the attacker's intent and methods. This eliminates guesswork and provides actionable intelligence. It confirms which credentials were used, what vulnerabilities were targeted, and how the initial breach occurred, all of which is crucial information for forensics, compliance reporting, and strengthening defenses against future attempts.
Access Control: Securing Remote and Vendor Entry Points
What if the initial breach came from a third-party vendor or a remote employee? This is an increasingly common scenario, and it’s one where BeyondTrust’s Secure Remote Access tools are critical. Instead of relying on vulnerable VPNs, which often grant broad network access, BeyondTrust provides granular, session-based access to specific applications or systems only. For a third party vendor needing to service one application, access is restricted to just that application, for a limited time. For a remote employee, access is governed by the same least privilege policies as if they were in the office. If a vendor's account is compromised, the blast radius is tiny. The security team can immediately terminate the session and revoke access without disrupting other operations. This turns a high risk entry point into a controlled and fully audited gateway.
