Misconfigured Administrative Privileges
TLDR: Misconfigured administrative privileges occur when excessive or inappropriate access rights are granted to users, devices, or processes, increasing the risk of security breaches, data leaks, and unauthorized actions. Issues such as granting root or administrator access unnecessarily, neglecting the principle of least privilege, or failing to audit privilege usage create exploitable vulnerabilities in systems and networks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_least_privilege
One major consequence of misconfigured administrative privileges is the increased attack surface for malicious actors. Overprivileged accounts can be exploited through phishing or credential theft, allowing attackers to execute critical actions such as deleting data, altering configurations, or accessing sensitive information. Additionally, improper delegation of administrative rights can lead to accidental system mismanagement, such as unintentional changes to critical settings.
https://www.cisecurity.org/controls
To address misconfigured administrative privileges, organizations should implement strict access control policies aligned with the principle of least privilege. Tools like Active Directory Group Policy Objects (introduced in 2000) or Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) mechanisms help enforce granular privilege management. Regular audits, privilege reviews, and monitoring tools like Splunk or SIEM platforms further ensure that privileges are appropriately assigned and any anomalies are quickly detected.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/active-directory