Active Identity of Departed Employee

Lifecycle Management

When an employee leaves an organization, the NHIs associated with them may remain active within systems if not properly deactivated. This includes access to sensitive applications, cloud platforms, and internal resources.

If these identities are not immediately revoked, they can be exploited by malicious actors, leading to unauthorized access to systems. Former employees with lingering access could intentionally or unintentionally expose data or compromise system integrity, posing severe financial, operational, and reputational damage.

High, especially if offboarding processes are not automated or routinely audited.

High, as it can lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, and potential insider threats.

Implement continuous NHI monitoring and lifecycle management to ensure timely deactivation of credentials immediately after employee offboarding. Regular audits and enforcing a Zero Trust model validate all access requests, preventing any unauthorized access by former employees.

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