Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Organizations are prioritizing a Privileged Access Management (PAM) strategy to prevent cybercriminals from accessing privileged accounts and conducting malicious activities. A key component of this strategy is securely managing privileged access requests and ensuring that access is granted only when necessary, properly authenticated and monitored in real time.

Integrating Privileged Access Management (PAM) with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions offers many benefits for organizations, including enhanced threat detection, improved visibility, reduced risk of insider threats, simplified compliance and more. Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of integrating PAM with SIEM solutions and best practices for integrating the two.

On January 16, 2025, an Executive Order 14144 was issued, aimed at strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity defenses. This order comes at a crucial time – during the fiscal year 2023, U.S. federal agencies reported over 32,000 cybersecurity incidents, reflecting a 5% increase from the previous year.

The top cyber threats facing the manufacturing industry are ransomware, supply chain attacks, insider threats, phishing and social engineering attacks. In 2023, the manufacturing sector accounted for 25% of all cyber attacks, making it the most targeted industry. As the manufacturing industry increasingly relies on the Internet of Things (IoT) to improve efficiency and productivity, addressing security risks has become essential.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has recognized that Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) environments represent one of the largest threats to American critical infrastructure. The increasing convergence of IT and OT systems, combined with the rise of ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure and the growing sophistication of nation-state threats, has created unprecedented security challenges.

As a former federal CISO, I’ve observed a persistent and dangerous misconception within government agencies: the belief that smart card authentication eliminates the need for enterprise password and Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions. This assumption creates critical security vulnerabilities that deserve closer examination.