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Term · 10. Account Types

Privileged Account PA

IDM/IGA Domain
PAM HIPAA ISO/IEC NIST PCI DSS SOX SWIFT CSCF

Definition

Account with elevated rights to administer systems, modify configurations, access sensitive data, or bypass standard controls. Examples: domain admins, root users, cloud admin roles, service accounts with admin scope. Primary target of attackers — compromise yields lateral movement and persistence.

Application
Subject to PAM controls: vaulting, session recording, MFA enforcement, JIT access, separation from regular user accounts. Required protections per PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, ISO 27001 A.9, NIST SP 800-53 AC family.
Standards & regulations
  • NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 «Privileged accounts include local and domain administrative accounts, emergency accounts, application management, and service accounts.»
  • NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 (IA-2(1)) «Implement multifactor authentication for access to privileged accounts.»
  • NIST SP 1800-18 (Draft) «Privileged accounts are used to access and manage an organization’s information assets and systems. Often described as the ‘keys to the kingdom,’ privileged accounts can provide elevated, sometimes un»
Sources

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