The Importance Of Just-in-Time Access (JIT) For Your Identity Security Program

Read full article here: https://www.unosecur.com/blog/why-just-in-time-access-is-the-smartest-upgrade-you-can-make-to-your-identity-security-program/?soucre=nhimg

In May 2023, German publication Handelsblatt alerted Tesla that it was in possession of confidential internal data, as two former employees improperly accessed and leaked nearly 100 GB of confidential data, is a stark reminder of how dangerous standing access privileges can be. With over 75,000 individuals’ data compromised and potential GDPR penalties of up to $3.3 billion, the incident highlights the urgent need for modernizing identity and access control.

For decades, organizations have relied on static IAM models, granting permanent roles and hoping someone remembers to revoke them during offboarding or audits. This legacy approach leaves wide attack surfaces for insider threats, misconfigurations, and stolen credentials. In today’s cloud-native, distributed, and AI-driven environments, such models are no longer sustainable.

Just-in-Time (JIT) Access flips the script. Instead of granting continuous permissions, JIT provisions access only when needed, for a specific task, for a limited time, and then automatically revokes it. The goal isn’t reducing privilege — it’s reducing the window of exploitation. This model applies to developers requesting admin rights, bots running automated workflows, or third-party vendors accessing sensitive data.

JIT vs Traditional Access Control

• Traditional Access Control - Static, role-based, long-lived permissions; easy to manage but vulnerable to misuse and costly to maintain.

• JIT Access Control -  Dynamic, request-driven, time-bound permissions; drastically reduces attack surfaces, enforces least privilege continuously, and provides full auditability.

Why Organizations Need JIT Now

• Reduces Breach Risk - Credentials are only active for minutes, not months, closing windows for attackers.

• Strengthens Compliance - Delivers continuous proof of least privilege and complete audit trails for frameworks like ISO 27001, SOC 2, and GDPR.

• Cuts Costs - Prevents wasteful over-provisioning, unnecessary licensing, and cloud resource sprawl.

• Supports Modern Infrastructure - Works seamlessly across cloud IAM stacks (AWS IAM, Azure Entra ID, GitHub, Kubernetes, vaults, SaaS).

The Business Value of JIT

Unosecur embed JIT access within Identity Threat Detection & Response (ITDR) frameworks, ensuring least privilege enforcement for both human and non-human identities. Every access request is logged, risk-scored, and policy-driven, giving security leaders confidence that access is not just compliant but contextually appropriate in real time.

The result is a leaner, smarter, and more resilient security posture that aligns security with business agility.

Bottom Line

Static roles and standing access are relics of the past. In an era where attackers don’t need to “break in” but simply exploit forgotten credentials, Just-in-Time Access is the single smartest upgrade enterprises can make to identity security programs. It reduces risks, cuts costs, ensures compliance, and protects both human and non-human identities at cloud scale.

If your organization is still relying on standing access, it’s time to rethink your model. With JIT access, security becomes adaptive, auditable, and future-proof.