Out with Perpetual, In with Just-in-Time: A Smarter Way to Secure Access

“84% of organizations have experienced an identity-related breach in the last year.” — 2022 Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA) Report

This striking statistic underscores the pervasive risks organizations face when managing identity and access. One key contributor to this alarming trend is over-provisioned and perpetual access, where users retain unnecessary privileges far beyond what their roles demand. Such excessive permissions create fertile ground for both external attackers and insider threats, making identity management a crucial focus area for modern security strategies.

To combat these challenges, organizations are turning to Just-in-Time (JIT) access as a proactive solution. By limiting the time and scope of permissions granted to users, JIT access drastically reduces the attack surface, minimizes misuse, and strengthens compliance. In this article, we’ll explore why JIT access is emerging as the gold standard for secure access management, using real-world examples and a hypothetical scenario to illustrate its impact.

The Case Against Perpetual Access

1. Excessive Privileges Increase Risk: When users hold broad, standing privileges, attackers who compromise those accounts gain unrestricted access to sensitive resources. Insider threats also loom large, as employees may misuse privileges unintentionally or maliciously.

   
   

2. Compliance Nightmares: Regulatory frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and SOX require organizations to enforce strict access controls. Over-provisioned accounts—especially those without clear revocation mechanisms—can lead to compliance violations and hefty fines.

   
   

3. Audit Challenges: Perpetual access leaves behind a messy trail, making it difficult to determine who accessed what, when, and why. This lack of transparency complicates audits and raises red flags during compliance reviews.

Just-in-Time Access: A Solution for Security and Compliance

What is JIT Access?

Just-in-Time (JIT) access is a security model that grants temporary, need-based permissions to users. Once a specific task is completed or a predefined time window lapses, the permissions are automatically revoked, leaving no lingering access.

Real-World Example: Microsoft’s Just-in-Time Access for Azure

Microsoft has incorporated JIT access controls for Azure-based virtual machines and other resources. By implementing JIT, organizations using Azure can configure their VM ports so that access is granted only upon approved requests, reducing the cloud attack surface.

1. Request – A developer requests SSH access to a virtual machine.
2. Approval – An automated policy or a security officer reviews and approves.
3. Access Window – The system grants access for a predefined period (e.g., 2 hours).
4. Revocation – Access is automatically revoked at the end of the window, removing any standing privileges.

This approach limits the exposure of sensitive resources, ensures compliance, and provides detailed audit logs—a win-win for security teams.

Hypothetical Scenario: A Financial Institution Upgrading Core Systems

Imagine a bank that needs to upgrade its core banking application. Multiple vendors, developers, and internal teams require database and server access at various stages of the project.

• Before JIT (Traditional Approach): Each vendor and internal developer receives broad, standing privileges for the project duration.
• Every login remains active until someone remembers to revoke it.
• Auditors find it difficult to ascertain who accessed what data and for how long.
• After JIT Implementation: Only a small subset of critical staff can request elevated privileges, approved automatically or by an authorized manager.
• Access is limited to the time window needed (e.g., 2-hour blocks).
• Once the window closes, privileges are revoked, leaving no lingering access.
• Detailed logs help with compliance reporting, showing that the bank has minimized the risk of unauthorized or indefinite access.
• Result: Stronger overall security posture and a clear audit trail that satisfies regulators and internal risk controls.

Core Components of a JIT Access Workflow

Below is a high-level diagram of how a JIT workflow might look. This is a simplified representation that you could adapt for your environment.

                         ┌────────────────────┐
                         │   Access Request   │
                         └────────────────────┘
                                   │
                                   ▼
                         ┌────────────────────┐
                         │   Policy/Approval  │
                         │ (Manual or Auto)   │
                         └────────────────────┘
                                   │
                                   ▼
                         ┌────────────────────┐
                         │ Temporary Access   │
                         │   Provisioning     │
                         └────────────────────┘
                                   │
                                   ▼
                         ┌────────────────────┐
                         │ Monitoring & Logs  │
                         └────────────────────┘
                                   │
                                   ▼
                         ┌────────────────────┐
                         │ Automatic Revoking │
                         │   of Privileges    │
                         └────────────────────┘

1. Access Request

A user, system, or process submits a request to gain access to a resource (e.g., database, server, application).

2. Policy/Approval

Based on predefined security policies, the request might be automatically approved or might require a security admin’s authorization. Factors considered could include user role, time of day, and risk classification of the resource.

3. Temporary Access Provisioning

Once approved, the user receives only the specific privileges needed. These credentials are time-bound and automatically expire.

4. Monitoring & Logs

During the access window, activity is monitored and logged in real-time, feeding directly into security analytics tools or SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) systems.

5. Automatic Revoking of Privileges

When the time window elapses, privileges are automatically revoked, preventing any leftover standing access.

Compliance Benefits

• Demonstrable Controls: You can show auditors that only the right people have access for the right reasons, and only for the right amount of time.
• Centralized Logging: All access requests, approvals, and revocations are stored in one location.
• Scalability: As your organization grows or new projects arise, JIT scales easily without sprawl of standing privileges.

What if You Don’t Implement JIT?

• Prolonged Attack Surface: Perpetual privileges allow attackers more time to exploit vulnerabilities or compromised credentials.
• Audit and Regulatory Challenges: Explaining indefinite access to auditors under GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS can lead to compliance headaches and potential fines.
• Complex Risk Management: Tracking and revoking unnecessary privileges across multiple systems can become overwhelming, increasing the likelihood of oversight.

Conclusion

As the IDSA’s report highlights, identity-related breaches remain a persistent challenge for organizations, driven in large part by over-provisioned and perpetual access. By transitioning to Just-in-Time access, organizations can take a giant leap toward securing their resources, minimizing risks, and maintaining compliance.

The shift from perpetual to temporary access is not just a technical upgrade—it’s a strategic imperative. Organizations that adopt JIT access today will be better equipped to face the evolving threat landscape while ensuring operational efficiency and regulatory adherence. Now’s the time to leave standing privileges behind and embrace the future of secure access management.