Access certification is more than a checkbox; it’s how you prove and enforce least privilege at scale. It ensures every user, system, and role has only the access they need, nothing more. In this guide, you’ll learn how to run access certifications that satisfy auditors, reduce insider threats, and clean up outdated privileges. You’ll explore common types (manual vs. automated, user-based vs. resource-based), challenges, and how modern teams streamline the process with real-time visibility and
Authorization isn’t just about who gets in, it’s about what they can do once they’re inside. And that’s where most breaches happen. Whether you're enforcing RBAC, ABAC, or context-based policies, effective authorization ensures users only access what they need, no more, no less. This post unpacks how authorization works, compares key models, and explores best practices for enforcing least privilege at scale.
This guide breaks down the types of compliance audits (regulatory, security, financial, and operational), the frameworks they map to, and the real challenges most teams face, like privileged access sprawl and manual tracking.
Passwords alone don’t stop breaches anymore. Context-aware authentication changes the game by using real-time signals like device, location, time, and behavior to decide whether access should be granted.
StrongDM’s latest survey of 1,000 IT, compliance, and security professionals at financial institutions and fintech firms reveals a telling picture: while confidence in compliance planning is high, operational challenges persist, especially around privileged access management and audit preparedness.
PostgreSQL or MySQL? It’s the age-old database debate. PostgreSQL shines for complex, write-heavy workloads, rich data types, and ACID compliance. MySQL is fast, lightweight, and perfect for read-heavy web apps and MVPs.
SSH ProxyJump (the -J flag) is a more streamlined way to hop between SSH hosts using one or more bastion hosts. Instead of chaining multiple manual connections, ProxyJump creates a single end-to-end SSH session through the specified jump hosts. It was introduced in OpenSSH 7.5 to simplify access to servers that sit behind firewalls or live in private networks.
A breach isn’t a matter of if, it’s when. In 2023 alone, around 97 million accounts were breached in the US, accounting for one in three cases worldwide. Whether it’s a rogue insider, a phishing attack, or a third-party screwup, your best shot at bouncing back fast is having a clear, tested data breach response plan. This guide walks you through what to include: governance roles, incident severity levels, NIST-based response steps, legal obligations (like GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA), and
Learn how to create tables in PostgreSQL using psql or pgAdmin. Master data types, constraints, and schema design, and secure access with StrongDM's fine-grained permissions and audit trails.
Learn how to list MySQL users using SQL queries and GUI tools like Workbench and phpMyAdmin. Discover how to check privileges, manage accounts, and secure access with best practices, and see how StrongDM simplifies MySQL user management.
Most breaches don’t begin with hacking—they start with logging in. Discover how compromised credentials fuel modern cyberattacks and why Zero Trust Privileged Access is essential for securing today’s identity-driven environments.