MFA confirms who you are. PAM controls what you can do and for how long.
Either one alone leaves gaps.
Gaps When You Only Have One
MFA without PAM
A verified admin still has unlimited, permanent, unmonitored access, and insider or hijacked sessions go unchecked.
PAM without MFA
If vault credentials are phished, the attacker gets the whole vault.
Where to Add MFA Inside a PAM Workflow
- Logging in to the PAM portal or vault.
- Step-up MFA before checking out high-risk credentials.
- MFA when elevating to root, admin or sudo.
- MFA for vendor and remote access sessions.
Real-World Breach Lessons
- Uber (2022): MFA fatigue led to hardcoded admin credentials found in a script, which then gave the attacker access to the PAM tool.
- Colonial Pipeline (2021): attackers got in through a VPN account without MFA.
Lesson: layered controls matter.
Implementation Roadmap
- Inventory privileged accounts.
- Enforce phishing-resistant MFA for all admins.
- Vault and rotate credentials.
- Remove standing privileges with JIT.
- Monitor and record sessions.
- Extend controls to machine identities.
Takeaway
Identity is the new perimeter, and privileged identity is where it needs the most protection.
Protect privileged access with MFA and PAM in one platform. Book a 15-min demo of AuthNull.