As organizations grow and evolve, employees, contractors, services, and systems come and go. However, their accounts often remain.
The Problem: The Identities Left Behind
These abandoned or ‘orphan’ accounts sit dormant across applications, platforms, assets, and cloud consoles. The reason they persist isn’t negligence—it’s fragmentation.
Traditional IAM and IGA Systems
Traditional Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Identity Governance & Administration (IGA) systems are designed to manage user accounts efficiently. However, these systems can sometimes fail to remove old or unused accounts, leading to orphaned identities.
The Risks of Orphan Accounts
Orphan accounts pose significant security risks:
- Data Breaches: Unauthorized access to an orphan account can lead to data breaches, compromising sensitive information.
- Phishing Attacks: Orphaned email addresses and usernames can be used in phishing campaigns to steal credentials.
- Privilege Escalation: Unused accounts with administrative privileges can be exploited by attackers to gain higher levels of access within the organization.
Criticality Score
7/10
Threat Type
Vulnerability
CVEs (if applicable)
N/A
Suggested Categories
- Security Best Practices
- Cybersecurity Compliance
- Identity and Access Management
- Data Protection
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