How attackers get in and what happens next: Privilege as the modern attack path

A privileged account is an attacker’s favorite stomping ground.

Their journey through one is quiet yet turbulent: gain system access through stolen credentials; move easily through operations using privileges and legitimate tools; and wreak havoc on logs, data and accounts. 

Many orgs are ill-equipped to stop them. Non-human identities (NHIs) and AI agents are ballooning, spilling past the legacy security perimeters most teams still rely on. And highly trusted identities, human or otherwise, tend to maintain access long after they need it. 

This white paper breaks down how modern attackers move after entry — and what it takes to stop them before they gain control. You’ll learn: 

• Why standing privilege is your biggest liability 
• How NHIs expand your attack surface 
• What privilege control looks like in practice