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Cloud Security

What Is Identity and Access Management (IAM)?

3 min. read
Table of Contents

Identity and access management, or IAM, is a foundational component of virtually any modern application environment. By providing a systematic way to assign roles and permissions to users and groups, IAM plays a central role in securing resources, mitigating security vulnerabilities, and (when properly implemented) enforcing the principle of least privilege.

What Is Identity and Access Management?

Identity and access management (IAM) is a software service or framework that allows organizations to define user or group identities within software environments, then associate permissions with them. The identities and permissions are usually spelled out in a text file, which is referred to as an IAM policy.

As an example of an IAM policy, a team could create a rule that grants a specific user the right to list files within an object storage bucket in the cloud. Or, an IAM policy could grant a group of users in a branch office the ability to both read and upload files to a local database.

These are just basic examples. In a large-scale environment, a team might maintain dozens or even hundreds of different IAM policies. The policies can be used to manage access rights for any of the dozens of services that the organization may use, either on-premises or in the cloud.

Why Is IAM Important?

Identity and access management is important because it allows organizations to share IT resources among multiple users and groups. It helps organizations establish trust for who can be signed in to an account (authentication) while at the same time ensuring that each user or group has only the specific access rights that he or she requires (authorization).

Without IAM, teams would struggle to manage access rights in an efficient way. They would have to rely on alternatives such as creating an entirely separate cloud computing account for each user. That would be inefficient to manage, and would make it difficult to share cloud resources between users.

They could also simply allow every user within their team to have the same level of access to every resource in their environment. But that would be insecure because each individual typically needs to access only certain resources. For example, developers who work for the HR department may need to access databases and virtual machines associated only with their applications, while other developers who build software for the finance department require different permissions. If you were to give all developers access to all resources, you would increase the risk of security oversights and exposures.

With IAM, it’s easy to ensure that each user and group has exactly the level of access rights he, she, or they need – no more and no less. Doing so adheres to the principle of least privilege, which states that access rights should be restricted to the minimum necessary for a user to complete his or her work.

IAM vs. PAM

Identity and access management is sometimes compared to privileged access management, or PAM. The exact nature of the relationship between IAM and PAM is subjective and depends on your perspective. However, most teams treat PAM as a subset of IAM. They use PAM to manage permissions for privileged users, meaning those who fill administrative roles and require access to systems (such as the IAM framework itself) that ordinary users do not. IAM is a broader category of tool that applies to all users.

Cloud IAM vs. On-Prem IAM

Most conversations about identity and access management today focus on the cloud. That is because public cloud platforms (such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud) rely on IAM services as the foundation for user rights and access management. If you create a cloud-based IT environment of any size and complexity, you’ll need to use cloud identity and access management to control access roles and permissions within it.

That said, IAM systems can be used on-premises as well. Directory services like Active Directory and OpenLDAP, also known as Identity Providers (IdP) could be considered a form of IAM. Basic user and group permissions, such as those defined in the /etc/group file on a Linux system, could also qualify as a simple IAM system, although they are not as granular as cloud IAM, and they are not designed for use within a distributed computing environment that includes multiple servers and services.

IAM Security

While IAM provides a powerful means of helping to secure complex environments, it presents some security challenges. Misconfigured IAM policies, such as a policy that gives anyone on the Internet the ability to view the contents of a storage bucket, can create major security vulnerabilities. It can also be challenging to ensure that IAM rules remain secure as teams update them to reflect changing user roles and access needs.

Scanning IAM policies continuously can help teams manage these security risks by detecting insecure configurations before they lead to an active breach.

Identity and Access Management FAQs

SSO enables users to access multiple applications or systems using a single set of credentials, effectively reducing password fatigue and enhancing user experience. By centralizing authentication, SSO simplifies the management of user identities and minimizes the risk of password-related breaches. When a user logs in, SSO communicates with a trusted identity provider using protocols like SAML or OIDC, which verifies the user’s identity and sends a token back to the service confirming authentication.
Multifactor authentication enhances security by requiring users to provide two or more verification factors to gain access to a resource, such as an application or a dataset. Typically, MFA combines something the user knows (password), something the user has (security token or smartphone app), and something the user is (biometrics). MFA significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access, as compromising one factor alone is insufficient to breach the system.
Identity federation allows distinct identity management systems to share digital identities and access rights across security domains. Typically implemented through standards like SAML, OpenID Connect, and WS-Federation, it enables a user to use a single authentication ticket or token to access multiple services without re-authenticating. Organizations leverage federation to streamline access to SaaS applications while maintaining stringent security policies and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Privileged access management involves the secure handling of the elevated or 'privileged' access and permissions granted to users, accounts, or processes. PAM helps organizations restrict and monitor the actions that can be performed with elevated rights, significantly reducing the risk of breaches or insider threats. By managing and auditing all privileged accounts and access, organizations can ensure that sensitive operations and data are only accessible to authenticated and authorized users.
RBAC restricts system access to authorized users based on their role within an organization. Access rights are grouped by role name, and access to resources is determined by the responsibilities inherent to that role. RBAC helps organizations improve operational efficiency, reduce the risk of unauthorized access, and achieve compliance by ensuring that users don't have rights beyond their necessities. The implementation of RBAC is guided by the principle of least privilege, which stipulates that users are granted the minimum level of access necessary to perform their functions.
Identity as a service (IDaaS) refers to cloud-based services that manage identities and access controls for organizations. IDaaS providers offer scalable solutions for identity governance, access management, and directory services, which are maintained off-premises and accessible over the internet. Organizations adopt IDaaS to reduce the complexity of their identity infrastructures, improve agility with rapid deployment, and decrease operational costs by outsourcing the management of their identity functions to specialized vendors.
Biometric authentication uses unique biological characteristics, such as fingerprints, facial recognition, iris scans, or voice patterns, to verify an individual's identity. These biometrics are difficult to replicate, making them highly secure. The authentication process involves capturing a biometric sample, converting it into a digital template, and comparing it against stored templates. Advanced machine learning algorithms ensure high accuracy and quick matching, making biometric authentication a robust method for enhancing security in identity management.
Identity governance and administration encompasses processes and technologies for managing and governing user identities and access permissions within an organization. IGA solutions provide visibility into who has access to what, ensuring that access rights are compliant with policies and regulations. They include functionalities like access certification, role management, and policy enforcement. By automating workflows and providing audit trails, IGA helps organizations mitigate risks associated with unauthorized access and achieve regulatory compliance.
ABAC is a dynamic approach to access management that evaluates access requests based on attributes associated with users, resources, and the environment. Attributes can include user roles, resource classification, time of day, and location. ABAC policies define how these attributes interact to grant or deny access. This fine-grained control enables organizations to implement complex access rules that adapt to varying contexts, providing enhanced security and flexibility over traditional role-based access control models.
An identity provider (IdP) is a service that creates, maintains, and manages identity information for users and provides authentication services to relying applications within a federation or SSO system. IdPs use protocols like SAML, OpenID Connect, and OAuth to facilitate secure identity and attribute sharing. They play a crucial role in federated identity management by issuing authentication tokens that applications trust, allowing users to access multiple services with a single set of credentials.
Just-in-time provisioning is a method of creating user accounts on-the-fly during the first login attempt, based on user attributes received from an identity provider. This approach eliminates the need for pre-provisioning accounts and reduces administrative overhead. JIT provisioning leverages federated identity protocols, such as SAML or OpenID Connect, to obtain user attributes dynamically and create accounts with appropriate access rights. This ensures that users have immediate access to necessary resources without delays associated with traditional provisioning methods.
A directory service is a specialized database designed for managing and storing information about users, devices, and other entities in a network. It supports authentication, authorization, and account management functions. Common directory services include Microsoft Active Directory, LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), and Azure Active Directory. They provide a centralized repository for identity information, enabling efficient management of user credentials, group memberships, and access policies across an organization’s IT environment.
Credential stuffing is a cyberattack method where attackers use automated tools to try large volumes of username-password pairs obtained from previous data breaches on multiple websites. This technique exploits the fact that many users reuse passwords across different services. Ineffective IAM practices, such as not enforcing MFA and poor password policies, can make systems highly vulnerable to credential stuffing, leading to unauthorized access and data breaches.
Privilege creep occurs when users accumulate access rights and permissions over time that exceed what is necessary for their current role. This often happens due to ineffective IAM practices, such as lack of regular access reviews, poor role management, and inadequate deprovisioning processes. Privilege creep increases the risk of internal threats and unauthorized access to sensitive data, as users retain access to resources they no longer need.
Orphaned accounts refer to user accounts that remain active after the user has left the organization or no longer needs access. These accounts are often a result of ineffective deprovisioning processes within IAM systems. Orphaned accounts pose significant security risks as they can be exploited by malicious insiders or external attackers to gain unauthorized access to organizational resources, leading to potential data breaches and compliance violations.
Shadow IT refers to the use of information technology systems, devices, software, applications, and services without explicit organizational approval. Ineffective IAM practices, such as lack of visibility and control over user activities, can lead to the proliferation of shadow IT. This uncontrolled environment increases security risks, as unauthorized tools may lack proper security measures, making them susceptible to breaches and data leaks. Additionally, it complicates compliance and governance efforts.
An overprivileged account is an account that has more access rights and permissions than necessary for its intended purpose or role. These accounts are often a result of ineffective IAM practices, such as insufficient RBAC implementation and lack of adherence to the principle of least privilege. Overprivileged accounts increase the attack surface and risk of insider threats, as they can be exploited to perform unauthorized actions and access sensitive information.
Access sprawl occurs when users are granted excessive and unnecessary access to various systems and resources over time, often due to ineffective IAM practices. This issue arises from inadequate access reviews, poor role management, and failure to enforce the principle of least privilege. Access sprawl complicates security management, increases the risk of data breaches, and makes it difficult to achieve compliance with regulatory requirements, as it becomes challenging to track and control who has access to what.
Identity silos refer to the fragmented and isolated management of user identities across different systems and applications within an organization. This fragmentation is often due to ineffective IAM integration and lack of centralized identity governance. Identity silos hinder efficient access management, complicate user provisioning and deprovisioning processes, and increase the risk of security vulnerabilities. They also make it difficult to enforce consistent security policies and achieve a unified view of user access across the organization.

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