In today’s cybersecurity landscape, identity-based threats are among the most pressing risks for organizations. Conflicting access rights, excessive privileges, insider threats, and weak access controls create attack vectors that cybercriminals actively exploit. As businesses adopt cloud environments, hybrid IT infrastructures, and remote work models, identity security has become the first line of defense against cyber threats.

From a compliance and risk management perspective, organizations must ensure that access controls align with regulatory frameworks (e.g., NIS2, GDPR, ISO 27001, SOX, DORA etc.) while also mitigating risks associated with excessive or conflicting entitlements.

How can organizations prevent identity-based attacks before they cause damage? The answer lies in proactive access governance, AI-driven access control, risk detection and automation.

Understanding the rise of identity-based threats

Cybercriminals no longer “hack in”—they log in using stolen, weak, or mismanaged credentials. Identity-based attacks take multiple forms, including:

• Excessive access rights: Users gain access beyond their intended roles, intentionally or due to misconfigurations.
• Insider threats: Malicious or negligent employees abuse their access to compromise data or disrupt operations.
• Third-Party risks: Vendors, contractors, or external partners with excessive privileges become weak links in security.

Without strict access control policies, automated identity governance, and continuous monitoring, these threats go undetected until it’s too late—often resulting in regulatory penalties, financial losses, and reputational damage.

Key strategies to eliminate identity and access-related security risks

1. Adopt a Zero Trust identity model

Zero Trust security assumes that no user or system is inherently trustworthy. This approach aligns with modern security frameworks requiring continuous user access review.

This includes:
✔ Just-in-time (JIT) access provisioning—temporary, time-limited access for critical operations.
✔ Least privilege enforcement—ensuring users only have the minimal access required for their role.
✔ Strict verification—including multi-factor authentication (MFA) and adaptive access controls.

2. Implement AI-Powered Access Risk Scoring

Regulations increasingly require risk-based access reviews rather than static, periodic audits. AI-driven risk scoring enables organizations to:
✔ Identify high-risk users and entitlements before they become a compliance violation.
✔ Prioritize remediation actions based on access anomalies.
✔ Detect unnecessary access rights—where users accumulate unnecessary access over time.

By analyzing identity risk in real-time, security teams can proactively eliminate threats and ensure audit readiness at all times.

3. Strengthen Segregation of Duties (SoD) Controls

From an audit and compliance perspective, Segregation of Duties (SoD) violations pose one of the most significant risks, particularly in financial, healthcare, and heavily regulated industries. Without proper SoD policies, employees can accumulate conflicting roles, leading to fraud or unauthorized activities. Cross-system SoD detection (TheFence Access Risk Management (ARM)) prevents:
✔ Regulatory violations (e.g., SOX, GDPR, ISO 27001) due to improper access segregation.
✔ Unauthorized financial transactions (e.g., an employee both approving and processing payments).
✔ Fraudulent data manipulation across multiple platforms.

Automated SoD analysis ensures that no single individual has conflicting privileges, reducing risk exposure and strengthening compliance.

Future-proofing identity security with AI & automation

Identity-based threats are evolving faster than ever, and traditional security approaches are no longer enough. AI-powered identity governance, real-time risk detection, and automation are the next frontier in cybersecurity.

For CIOs, CISOs, and Compliance Officers, the challenge isn’t just securing identities—it’s ensuring that access governance reduces risk, increases efficiency, and meets regulatory requirements. AI-powered identity governance solutions like TheFence transform access control from a manual burden into an automated, risk-based security framework.

Is your organization prepared for identity-based threats?

Discover how TheFence can help you automate identity governance, enforce Zero Trust, and eliminate access risks—while ensuring compliance. Get a demo with a TheFence specialist!