Addressing security and privacy compliance mandates with Extended Access Management

With regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as well as audit frameworks with privacy implications like ISO 27001 and SOC 2, organizations must implement strict controls over data privacy, access management, and auditability. Compliance with these mandates can be complex, especially when managing user access to sensitive data across modern IT environments.

Why address these challenges?

Failure to meet regulatory or audit requirements can have serious consequences, including fines, loss of customer trust, and reputational damage. Non-compliance also increases the likelihood of security incidents, including unintended data leaks. For example, mishandling access to personal data can lead to violations of GDPR’s mandates, which emphasize the necessity of restricting data access strictly to authorized users with a lawful business need only. The financial and operational impact of security incidents, especially in regulated industries, can be damaging, with costs averaging millions per incident due to business disruption, legal expenses, and potential customer churn.

The role of Extended Access Management in compliance

To tackle compliance challenges, businesses need a modernized approach to access management that goes beyond traditional methods. Traditional access management tools often struggle with the complexities of today’s decentralized IT environments, which include remote workforces and cloud services. Modern approaches to access management involve implementing more granular controls, automating compliance processes, and ensuring continuous monitoring of user access to sensitive data. Using this strategy can significantly reduce the risk of non-compliance and security incidents, paving the way for a more secure and resilient organization.

Extended Access Management (XAM), a new category of security software, provides enhanced control and monitoring of how users access corporate resources, including sensitive data and systems. XAM expands the scope of access management by delivering granular control on devices and credentials, visibility, and reporting and auditing capabilities that address the specific requirements of privacy regulations like GDPR.

Aligning with GDPR compliance using 1Password Extended Access Management

The GDPR mandates that organizations protect the privacy and personal data of individuals within the European Union. A key principle of GDPR is ensuring that access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel and for legitimate purposes only.

Under GDPR Article 32, organizations must implement strong security measures such as encryption, data anonymization, and access control policies to protect personal data.

1Password®️ Extended Access Management enforces these measures through end-to-end encryption on vaults, multi-factor authentication (MFA) at sign-in, custom groups and vault permissions, device health checks, and detailed logs on access activity to align with privacy compliance mandates.

Protecting data with granular access control, MFA, and auditing

1Password Extended Access Management is designed to help organizations manage access to credentials securely, enforce security policies, and maintain audit trails in compliance with privacy mandates. Let’s explore some of the core features that help businesses better align with privacy and security regulations.

Granular access control and permissions

A cornerstone of privacy compliance is ensuring that only authorized individuals access sensitive data. 1Password Extended Access Management offers access controls that allow administrators to define permissions for the vaults where credentials and data are stored. These controls help organizations restrict access to sensitive databases, personal information, or corporate systems.

For example, permissions and conditional access policies are applied so that users are granted the least privilege necessary to perform their tasks, minimizing the risk of data misuse and supporting GDPR’s principle of data minimization.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) for stronger security

Many privacy regulations, including GDPR, emphasize the importance of MFA to prevent unauthorized access. 1Password Extended Access Management acts as a possession-based MFA across sign-ins when using device trust capabilities and can identify MFA opportunities for sign-ins not covered by your SSO provider, adding an extra layer of security to ensure that users must verify their identity through multiple methods.

MFA helps mitigate the risk of compromised credentials and unauthorized access, both critical elements of privacy regulations. With 1Password Extended Access Management, organizations can align with stringent authentication requirements while safeguarding personal data from breaches.

Comprehensive access auditing and reporting

Maintaining detailed access logs is critical for compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR and security audit frameworks like ISO 27001 and SOC 2. 1Password Extended Access Management provides comprehensive audit trails through activity logging on accessed credentials and actions that occur using 1Password Device Trust, allowing administrators to monitor who accessed what data and when. These reports can be generated for privacy audits, demonstrating that access to personal data is properly controlled and monitored.

Audit trails can be sent to an organization’s security information and event management (SIEM) provider, allowing organizations to proactively detect and address security issues or anomalies before they escalate into incidents.

Contextual access management

Going beyond traditional MFA, contextual access management adds another layer of security by evaluating the context in which access is requested. 1Password Extended Access Management can assess:

• Device health: Enforcing device compliance based on health checks and ensuring that configurations are up-to-date.
• Location: When connected to your chosen identity provider (IdP), determining whether the access request to credentials and applications originates from a trusted or suspicious location.
• Time of access: When connected to your chosen identity provider (IdP), checking if the request occurs during typical work hours or during unusual times.

This adaptive approach enables organizations to dynamically adjust access requirements based on risk, helping protect sensitive personal data while enhancing security compliance.

Protecting sensitive data through encryption and secure secrets management

GDPR requires organizations to implement technical measures to ensure the security of personal data, including encryption and data minimization.

1Password Extended Access Management provides:

• End-to-end encryption in vaults: Personal data in vaults is encrypted at rest and in transit, reducing the risk of unauthorized data exposure.
• Device checks: Enforces that all devices accessing sensitive data align with your security posture requirements, including having the device hard drive encrypted.
• Secure secrets management: Stores sensitive data such as passwords, API keys, and encryption keys in secure, encrypted vaults, limiting access to only authorized individuals. This helps organizations align with compliance requirements for data protection.

Third-party access and cross-border data transfers

Privacy regulations like GDPR require organizations to ensure that third-party vendors adhere to the same privacy standards, especially when accessing personal data. Additionally, GDPR regulates cross-border data transfers to countries outside of the European Economic Area (EEA), requiring specific safeguards such as encryption or contractual clauses to protect data.

1Password Extended Access Management supports these compliance mandates by:

• Controlling access to vaults and vault items when sharing with third parties, limiting access to only the data they need and within a timeframe specified, and logging and monitoring access attempts to verify adherence to agreed upon security practices.
• Restricting access to credential vaults based on IP addresses, countries, or continents, ensuring that data is accessed and secure under the customer’s control within the EEA.

Breach monitoring and response

GDPR mandates that organizations notify regulators within 72 hours of a personal data breach. 1Password Extended Access Management will notify admins if the credentials stored in vaults are reported in external breaches. In addition, activity logging on vaults and devices is provided, enabling organizations to quickly identify and respond to potential security incidents. With detailed audit logs, organizations can assess the scope of a credential breach, determine what data was affected, and report the incident in compliance with GDPR’s breach notification requirements.

Future-proof your privacy compliance with 1Password Extended Access Management

As privacy regulations like GDPR and security audit frameworks like SOC 2 and ISO 27001 become more stringent or applicable to your organization, ensuring compliance is no longer optional — it’s critical for protecting your organization’s reputation and avoiding costly penalties. 1Password Extended Access Management simplifies security and privacy compliance by continually adding new advanced access controls for vaults and device checks, audit capabilities, and encryption measures that help organizations protect personal data and align with these standards.

By leveraging 1Password Extended Access Management, businesses can confidently align with evolving security and privacy requirements while building a security posture that protects both their data and their reputation.

Explore how 1Password Extended Access Management can transform your security and privacy compliance strategy. Request a demo or join our upcoming webinar on compliance!

Marc von Mandel

Director, Solutions & Channel Product Marketing