Cyber Brief: Identity Security Gaps and Ongoing Visibility Challenges

Today’s cybersecurity activity highlights continued weaknesses in identity and access management, increasing abuse of valid credentials, and the impact of limited visibility across modern environments. Together, these issues underline the importance of controlling access and monitoring behaviour, not just securing infrastructure.

Stolen Credentials Continue to Drive Security Incidents

Security teams are reporting that compromised credentials remain one of the most common entry points for attackers. Rather than exploiting complex vulnerabilities, threat actors are increasingly relying on reused passwords, phishing, and previously leaked credentials to gain legitimate access to systems.

Once inside, attackers can move laterally and operate quietly, often blending in with normal user activity.

Why it matters
Credential-based attacks are difficult to detect without strong identity controls and monitoring. Multi-factor authentication, access reviews, and testing of authentication flows are essential to reducing this risk.

Source: Identity security reporting

Limited Visibility Delays Detection of Malicious Activity

New analysis shows that many organisations continue to struggle with visibility across their environments. Gaps in logging, monitoring, or asset awareness are allowing suspicious activity to persist longer than it should, increasing the potential impact of an incident.

This challenge is amplified in hybrid and cloud environments, where responsibility is shared and tooling is often fragmented.

Why it matters
Delayed detection gives attackers time to escalate access and cause damage. Visibility across users, systems, and data is a critical foundation for effective incident response and risk reduction.

Source: Security operations research

Access Controls Drift as Environments Evolve

Reports also highlight how access controls can quietly weaken over time as environments change. Temporary permissions are not always removed, roles expand beyond their original scope, and legacy accounts remain active long after they are needed.

Without regular validation, these access paths can become an attractive target for attackers.

Why it matters
Over-permissive access increases the blast radius of any compromise. Regular access reviews and proactive testing help ensure permissions still align with business need and risk tolerance.

Source: Industry security commentary

Today’s Key Actions

1. Review authentication controls and enforce multi-factor access
2. Validate logging and monitoring coverage across environments
3. Audit user and service account permissions
4. Test access controls as environments change

Secarma Insight

Strong cybersecurity depends as much on controlling access and visibility as it does on technical defences. By validating identity controls, monitoring behaviour, and regularly testing access pathways, organisations can reduce the risk of attacks that rely on stolen credentials and unseen weaknesses.

If you’d like to discuss how to strengthen visibility and access controls, speak to the Secarma team:
https://secarma.com/contact