Passwords are everywhere: what IAM teams need to control now

TL;DR: Password Day underscores that the real problem is not password strength but uncontrolled access, because shared admin accounts, service accounts, embedded credentials, and spreadsheet-based secrets still create opaque risk, according to Netwrix. The practical shift is from better passwords to governed control over who can use, rotate, and revoke them.

NHIMG editorial — based on content published by Netwrix: My favorite day of the year: Password Day

Questions worth separating out

Q: How should security teams control shared passwords across users and systems?

A: Treat every shared password as a governed identity asset, not a convenience.

Q: Why do passwords become a bigger risk as organisations grow?

A: As organisations scale, ownership gets blurred and more people begin depending on the same secrets.

Q: What do teams get wrong about secrets stored in spreadsheets?

A: They assume the spreadsheet is temporary when it has already become part of the access control model.

Practitioner guidance

• Inventory every non-human password path Identify shared admin accounts, service account passwords, embedded application credentials, and any temporary access spreadsheets that now function as permanent records.
• Consolidate secrets into one governed vault Move credentials out of chat threads, spreadsheets, and personal storage into a single controlled system with explicit access rules, audit trails, and change history.
• Tie rotation to operational ownership Require a documented recovery path before rotation so teams do not avoid changing credentials because a script, application, or integration might break.

What's in the full article

Netwrix's full blog post covers the operational detail this post intentionally leaves for the source:

• How Netwrix frames workforce password management for shared credentials and everyday user access.
• Operational examples of moving secrets out of spreadsheets, chat threads, and other informal stores.
• The vendor's description of controlled vaulting, approvals, MFA, and rotation in one workflow.
• The product-specific visibility model for auditing who accessed a credential and when.

👉 Read Netwrix's blog post on controlling passwords and shared secrets →

Passwords are everywhere: what IAM teams need to control now?

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