Break glass vs backdoor accounts
Break glass and backdoor accounts, even though both bypass normal access, they are inherently different. One is a fire extinguisher; the other is a trapdoor. Break glass accounts: The fire extinguisher 馃Н Break glass accounts are legitimate emergency access accounts. we may think of them as the “in case of emergency, break glass” option when your identity provider is down, MFA is locked out, or ransomware has frozen your administration console. They’re: Pre-authorized and documented Highly privileged, often with domain admin or root access Rarely used, and ideally stored offline or in a secure vault Audited and monitored They’re not inherently dangerous, but if mismanaged or overused, they become a liability. A stale password, a forgotten vault entry, or a lack of logging can turn our safety net into an attacker’s open gate. Backdoor accounts: The trapdoor 馃毆 Backdoor accounts are unauthorized or hidden access paths, often created by attackers or sometimes by developers who think they ...
