The modern ‘Identity’ crisis needs proactive cybersecurity: Here’s why
Identity sprawl is the new reality and organisations have made it easier than ever for attackers to seize their “golden tickets”. Gone are the days when enterprises managed only a handful of permissions as employees in India currently use a minimum of 63 passwords to perform day to day tasks. It’s because every employee, service account, third-party contractor, and IoT device is entangled in a vast, interconnected web of access rights—spanning identity providers like Microsoft Active Directory and Entra ID, cloud platforms, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications, and remote access tools. IoT devices further amplify the challenge, introducing machine identities that add layers of complexity and risk. The result? Identity sprawl has become one of the biggest security challenges organisations face, with 81% of breaches caused by compromised credentials. It’s also the top attack vector in India and the most costly type of cyber incident.
Identities are the hacker’s favourite doorway
Credential theft and privilege escalation are at the heart of modern cyberattacks. One of the most elusive threats in today’s era of identity sprawl is lateral movement where attackers quietly hop from system to system, evading detection. The reason? Stolen credentials make their activity look like business as usual. Once an adversary gains access to an account, they can persist undetected for months. In fact, breaches involving compromised credentials take an average of 292 days to identify and contain. Logging in with valid credentials doesn’t trigger alarms in identity and access management (IAM) solutions, allowing attackers to blend in effortlessly. Why rely on social engineering when you can simply log in?
The challenge is further compounded by the growing reliance on multiple identity providers (IDPs) to manage cloud and remote work environments. Many organisations assume their identity provider, whether it's Active Directory, Entra ID, or another IAM solution, handles security. However, IDPs are built for authentication and access control, not comprehensive security. This false sense of protection leads to misconfigurations, excessive permissions, and inaction, creating the perfect conditions for credential compromise.
Adding to the complexity, Active Directory (AD) was never designed for today’s digital-first world. Originally built for on-premises environments, it has since evolved into Entra ID for cloud-first identity management. Yet, neither was designed for the scale and sprawl of modern multi-cloud environments. As a result, organisations are left juggling fragmented solutions for privileged access management (PAM), identity governance, and threat detection & response—none of which provide a unified view of identity security risks.
Taking control of identity security
Without proactive identity security, organisations remain blind to their most pressing risks until it’s too late. Identities are the backbone of security, yet without preventive measures, attackers can exploit them easily. Strengthening identity security requires continuous monitoring, timely remediation, and enforcing least privilege to minimise risk exposure.
A unified approach to identity security is essential. Organisations must consolidate identity data across on-prem and cloud environments, ensuring security teams have a clear, comprehensive view of accounts, whether human or machine. AI-powered risk assessment solutions are no longer optional; attackers are already using AI to find weak links and exploit them. Leveraging AI-driven tools provides organisations with deep visibility into identities, entitlements, devices, groups, and roles, quantifying risk based on privilege levels, misconfigurations, and associated exposures.
However, identifying high-risk identities is only half the battle. Organisations need actionable intelligence to prioritise and remediate the most critical risks first. By integrating identity security data into exposure management platforms, security teams can anticipate threats, think like an attacker, and proactively shut down risks before they escalate. The right solutions don’t just highlight vulnerabilities they offer remediation options and impact analysis, ensuring the most dangerous exposures are addressed first.
Identity threats are not slowing down. Organisations that remain reactive will continue to be outmanoeuvred by attackers, stuck in a cycle of security theatre. The only way to stay ahead is with a proactive identity security strategy, one that eliminates blind spots, strengthens defences, and takes control of identities before attackers do.
Rajnish Gupta
Rajnish Gupta is country manager and managing director at Tenable India.
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