We begin this episode with a shocking statistic:  80% of hybrid cloud breaches involve credential abuse. During the interview, Jimmy McNary from Semperis unpacks the whole concept of protecting identities in the hybrid cloud.

The interview covers a wide range of topics.

First, we start by taking a view of how large systems have evolved. Larger systems tend to have two or more identity processes, and Active Directory from Microsoft has a 90% share of that overall market.

Secondly, some identity systems can use outdated Identification Access Management systems.

Thirdly, we have employees and contractors who enter and leave systems. This can produce confusion in de-provisioning access.

Putting all three together produces a perfect storm for malicious actors. They can use tools to scan systems for vulnerabilities in, for example, identification processes, and set up an attack.

Semperis uses Active Directory as the starting point to orchestrate identification. They can stop malicious actors before they attack, during the attack, and help post-attack.

In a poignant example, Jimmy McNary relates the story that some organizations spend significant amounts of money on backups, including immutable backups. Unfortunately, they forget about backing up Active Directory. We know that it is likely the attack vector included Active Directory, but it is not protected.

This is a scenario where the system is restored, and the malicious actor has retained credentials to allow him back into the system.

Jimmy McNary provides practical tips to avoid these frustrating situations.

= =

What’s your score? Take the Podcast Appearance Scorecard

www.podscorecard.com

Want to listen to other technology podcasts?

www.Federaltechpodcast.com

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/

Got goin’ to Mars on your bucket list? Listen to Constellations Podcast

https://www.kratosdefense.com/constellations/podcasts