Pattaya, Thailand – 30th August 2025 – One of the most persistent blind spots in enterprise security is not a zero-day exploit or a foreign adversary. It is the failure to properly revoke privileged access when employees or contractors leave. Organisations across industries continue to overlook this fundamental risk, exposing themselves to preventable breaches and regulatory penalties.
High-level credentials often remain active well beyond an individual’s employment, particularly when staff transition to new roles or exit suddenly. These accounts present one of the most attractive targets for cybercriminals and one of the easiest pathways to insider threat.
“Cybersecurity is not just an IT issue. It is an enterprise risk management issue that demands coordination between HR, IT, and security teams,” said Karl DiMascio, Founder at IntroSecurity ASEAN. “If access rights are not removed the moment an employee leaves, the business remains vulnerable, no matter how much it invests in advanced defences.”
Breaking Down Silos: HR and Security Must Work Together
The challenge is not purely technical. It is procedural. Effective privileged access management requires HR-led exit protocols to integrate seamlessly with IT and cybersecurity controls. When an employee departs, their access must be revoked automatically and immediately.
Leading practices now focus on:
- Role-based and task-based access – employees receive only the permissions needed for defined responsibilities, automatically expiring when duties end.
- HR–IT integration in offboarding – ensuring HR triggers the immediate removal of access rights as part of the exit checklist.
- Automated provisioning and deprovisioning – eliminating manual delays and ensuring consistent enforcement across systems.
- Zero Trust frameworks – removing assumptions of trust and verifying all access, regardless of origin.
A Board-Level Responsibility
With insider threats responsible for a significant proportion of breaches, board members and senior executives cannot treat access management as a technical detail. Regulators are increasingly focusing on governance failures, and stakeholders expect directors to ensure that risks are managed at the point where business processes meet technology.
“Boards should be asking one simple question,” added DiMascio. “Can we guarantee that when an employee or contractor exits, every access right is revoked within minutes, not days? If the answer is uncertain, that is a governance failure and a direct business risk.”
Broader Risks on the Agenda
Privileged access mismanagement is only one of the myriad security and governance challenges being addressed today. From supply chain vulnerabilities to insider threats, and from regulatory compliance to third-party risk, the responsibility of protecting the enterprise extends well beyond any single issue.
Organisations that succeed will be those that treat security not as an isolated function, but as a core enabler of trust, resilience, and long-term value.
About IntroSecurity ASEAN
IntroSecurity ASEAN is a premier cybersecurity growth partner, specializing in market entry, advisory, and strategic enablement for global vendors and enterprise clients across Southeast Asia. The firm provides board-level advisory, operational frameworks, and security transformation programs to help organisations navigate the evolving cyber threat landscape.
www.introsecurity.com
