You probably have admin accounts floating around that shouldn't exist anymore. Maybe they belong to someone who left the company six months ago. Maybe they were created for a one-time server migration and never deleted, or perhaps five people share the same "sysadmin" password.
These accounts are ticking time bombs. Admin access means total control—over your databases, your security settings, your entire network. When attackers break in, privileged accounts are exactly what they're hunting for.
The good news is that most admin account security problems are preventable. You just need a solid audit process and the discipline to stick with it.
Why Admin Accounts Deserve Special Attention
Think about what privileged users can do in your environment:
- Access confidential financial records and customer data
- Install or remove software across multiple systems
- Create new user accounts or delete existing ones
- Modify security settings and disable monitoring tools
- Access production databases with millions of records
A single compromised admin account can undo years of security investments in minutes. That's not fear-mongering—it's just the reality of how permissions work.
Setting Up Your Audit Framework
Before you start reviewing individual accounts, you need a structured approach. Here's what works in the real world.
Define What "Privileged" Actually Means
Not every account with elevated permissions poses the same risk. Create clear categories:
- Critical Access: Domain admins, database administrators, cloud platform admins, accounts that can access production systems
- Elevated Access: Department IT leads, application administrators, accounts with write access to sensitive systems
- Limited Elevated Access: Help desk staff with password reset abilities, junior admins with specific delegated permissions
Why does this matter? Because you'll audit critical access accounts monthly, elevated access quarterly, and limited access twice a year. Different risk levels require different attention.
Gather Your Admin Account Inventory
You can't audit what you don't know exists. Pull lists from:
- Active Directory or your identity provider
- Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
- Database management systems
- Network equipment
- Critical business applications
- Service accounts with elevated permissions
Yes, service accounts count too. They're often overlooked and rarely monitored, which makes them perfect targets.
The Actual Audit Process
Now for the practical part. Here's your step-by-step playbook.
Step 1: Verify Account Ownership
Match every privileged account to a current employee. Sounds basic, but you'd be surprised how many admin accounts belong to people who left months ago.
Check that:
- The account owner still works at your company
- They're still in the role that requires those permissions
- Their manager confirms they need that level of access
- Contact information is current
Found accounts you can't match to anyone? Disable them immediately and investigate.
Step 2: Review Last Login Activity
When was this account actually used? If your database admin account hasn't logged in for 90 days, something's wrong. Either the person isn't doing their job, or they're using a different account they shouldn't be.
Look for:
- Accounts that haven't been used in 60+ days
- Login patterns that don't match the user's work schedule
- Access from unusual locations or devices
- Multiple simultaneous sessions from different places
Step 3: Validate Current Permissions
People's roles change. The developer who needed production database access for a migration project six months ago probably doesn't need it anymore.
Ask these questions:
- Does this person's current job require these specific permissions?
- Are there less privileged ways to accomplish their tasks?
- Can you grant temporary access instead of permanent permissions?
- Are permissions documented with a business justification?
Remove access first, ask questions later. If someone truly needs it, they'll let you know quickly.
Step 4: Check for Shared Credentials
Shared admin accounts are security nightmares. You can't track who did what, and you can't revoke access when someone leaves without affecting everyone else.
Look for warning signs:
- Generic account names like "admin" or "dbadmin"
- Accounts accessed by multiple people
- Passwords that haven't changed in years
- Service desk accounts with shared credentials
Create individual accounts for each person. Use service account management tools for legitimate system-to-system connections.
Step 5: Examine Multi-Factor Authentication
Every single privileged account should have MFA enabled. No exceptions. Not "we're working on it" or "that account is only used internally."
Every. Single. One.
Verify:
- MFA is enabled and properly configured
- Backup authentication methods are secure
- MFA devices are registered to the correct person
- There are no bypass rules that defeat the purpose
What to Do With Your Findings
Finding problems is the easy part. Here's how to actually fix them.
Immediate Actions
Some issues require instant response:
- Disable orphaned accounts (no current owner)
- Remove admin rights from terminated employees
- Force password resets on shared accounts
- Enable MFA on any privileged account that lacks it
Don't wait for the next meeting or approval cycle. These are security emergencies.
Short-Term Remediation (Within 30 Days)
Schedule time to address:
- Downgrade excessive permissions to least privilege
- Convert shared accounts to individual accounts
- Document business justifications for all admin access
- Implement privileged access management tools if you don't have them
Ongoing Improvements
Make these part of your regular security practice:
- Quarterly access reviews for all privileged accounts
- Automated alerts for unusual admin account activity
- Regular training for people with elevated permissions
- Just-in-time access that grants privileges only when needed
Making It Sustainable with Automation
One-time audits don't work. You need a repeatable process that becomes part of your routine.
Set up automation where possible:
- Automated reports of accounts that haven't logged in recently
- Alerts when new admin accounts are created
- Regular reminders to review access for your team
- Integration with HR systems to catch terminations
Build it into workflows:
- New admin access requires manager approval and expiration date
- Quarterly attestation where managers confirm their team's access
- Annual comprehensive reviews of all privileged accounts
- Exit checklists that include privileged access removal
Simplify Privileged Access Audits with Multiplier for JSM
Privileged user access reviews shouldn't feel like archaeological digs through scattered spreadsheets, old tickets, and forgotten email threads.
Multiplier turns your admin account audits from reactive scrambles into proactive, documented processes—all within your existing JSM environment.
When it's time to review privileged access, you're pulling up real-time reports showing who has what access, when it was granted, why it was justified, and when it was last used. No hunting. No guessing. No panic when audit season arrives.
Want to see how Multiplier handles privileged access reviews in your environment? Book a demo and we'll walk through your actual admin accounts and approval workflows—not generic examples.
If you'd rather test it yourself, Install Multiplier from Atlassian Marketplace for a free 14-day trial and run your first privileged user audit this week.
