What is Just-in-Time access?
Just-in-Time (JIT) access is a fundamental security practice where the privilege granted to access applications or systems is limited to predetermined periods of time, on an as-needed basis. This helps to minimize the risk of standing privileges that attackers or malicious insiders can readily exploit.
When your IT and business users are allowed standing (unlimited) access to privileged accounts, you introduce significant risks of compromise by cybercriminals or even accidental exposure. With standing access, you effectively give users an open window to critical data and resources. Should they give a password to another user or have their own password compromised, they will likely provide total control over a privileged account that would probably remain undetected by conventional cybersecurity safeguards.
What are the benefits of Just-in-Time access?
To limit risk and exposure, organizations must apply the principle of least privilege, thereby limiting the three major elements of privileged access: location, actions, and timing.
Advanced Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions apply a least privilege strategy by controlling where users can access privileged accounts and what actions they can perform once they have accessed an account. Controlling when access is granted adds the critical time dimension to the security equation.
Just-In-Time access helps to remove the risks associated with standing privileges. And, while only about one in ten companies use JIT access today, Gartner projects that 40 percent of privileged access will rely on JIT control of privileged elevation by 2022. The ultimate goal, according to Gartner, is to use a combination of JIT and other security solutions to help maintain security without sacrificing operational productivity.
Managing Just-in-Time Access
One of the biggest challenges facing IT teams is trying to manage Just-In-Time access without an automated solution. Rather than creating JIT accounts to manage privileges, it’s more effective to ensure users and systems gain proper access when needed for a limited amount of time within a Privileged Access Management software solution.
PAM solutions provide a “request access” feature to enable users to request access to privileged information for a specified time. Other features such as “checkout” automatically rotate credentials whenever a checkout time period ends. These features effectively apply the concept of Just-in-Time access in the context of a robust PAM solution.
In more basic JIT implementations, PAM solutions limit the time frame a single user can have access to an account and rotate the credentials after the user checks in the account or the specified time expires. This ensures that the credentials are unknown to whoever just used them, and the risk of privilege abuse is significantly reduced.
In more advanced JIT implementations, the PAM solution will rotate the passwords and move accounts in and out of privileged groups on-demand or create brand new accounts and delete them at the end of the checkout window. JIT protects privileged access even in the case where an attacker can compromise the password to the account. The account is rendered useless or is completely eliminated when applying the JIT methodology.
Other forms of JIT include desktop capabilities such as process elevation through Privilege Elevation and Delegation Management (PEDM) tools. This allows end-users to install applications or perform basic troubleshooting tasks without being granted a full administrator account. The ability to escalate themselves to just the right level of access is provided on-demand and just in time.
How to start implementing Just-in-Time access
As with any new cybersecurity paradigm shift, the best place to start is always identifying risks to your business. If your organization has already accomplished this, you are one step ahead on your path to implementing JIT. After all your accounts and areas of concern have been identified, you can apply JIT first to your most high-risk accounts or situations. This may include but not be limited to third-party contractor access, high-valued accounts (domain admins, sysadmins, etc.), and DevOps.
Jump to specific steps for implementation.
Remember, JIT focuses on how long a user has access to privileges. The smaller the time window, the more secure. A word of caution: if you make the window too small, you may get pushback from users about how the PAM solution prevents them from doing their jobs. Once your highest risk concerns have been addressed, you can expand the scope of how and where Just-in-Time access should be applied.
Frequently asked questions about JIT access:
What is the difference between Just-in-Time and Just-Enough-Access?
Just-in-Time access and Just-Enough-Access (JEA) are both principles of least privilege, but they address different aspects of access control.
JIT access focuses on minimizing the duration of privileged access by granting permissions only when needed and revoking them after a set time or upon task completion. This reduces the attack surface by limiting the window of opportunity for credential misuse.
In contrast, JEA ensures that users have only the specific permissions necessary to perform their tasks, preventing excessive privileges that attackers or insider threats could exploit. While JIT controls when access is granted, JEA controls how much access is given, and together, they strengthen an organization's security posture by reducing unnecessary privilege exposure.
How do you implement Just-in-Time access?
To implement JIT access effectively, an organization should follow these key preparation steps:
- Assess current privilege usage – Conduct an audit to identify accounts with standing privileges, evaluate their necessity, and document access patterns.
- Define access policies – Establish clear rules for who can request JIT access, for which systems, under what conditions, and for how long. Define approval workflows and authentication requirements (e.g., MFA).
- Select and configure a PAM solution – Deploy a Privileged Access Management (PAM) solution with JIT capabilities, such as ephemeral accounts, temporary privilege elevation, or session-based access with automatic revocation.
- Integrate with IT and security systems – Ensure the JIT model integrates with identity and access management (IAM), security information and event management (SIEM), and endpoint security tools for seamless enforcement and monitoring.
- Implement request and approval processes – Set up self-service request mechanisms with automated or manual approvals, ensuring minimal disruption to workflows while maintaining security oversight.
- Enable logging and monitoring – Configure real-time logging, audit trails, and anomaly detection to track JIT access usage and flag suspicious activity.
- Train users and administrators – Educate IT teams and privileged users on JIT procedures, expectations, and security best practices to ensure smooth adoption.
- Test and optimize – Run pilot implementations, refine workflows based on feedback, and continuously adjust policies to balance security and operational efficiency.
What is an example of Just-in-Time access?
Example 1 - manual approval: Imagine your IT administrator needs to perform maintenance on a critical database but does not have standing administrative privileges. Instead of having constant access, they request elevated permissions through a Privileged Access Management (PAM) system.
The request triggers an approval workflow, where a manager or automated policy checks if access is justified. Once approved, the administrator is granted temporary privileged access for a limited time—say, 30 minutes. All actions are logged and monitored for security and compliance during this period.
Once the time expires or the task is completed, the system automatically revokes the elevated privileges, ensuring the account does not retain unnecessary access.
Example 2 - automated approval: Now, imagine your IT administrator needs to check if a service ticket exists for a critical system and verify that the user's identity and access align with the company's security requirements. Instead of manually requesting elevated privileges, the administrator's PAM system automatically checks the request based on predefined policies.
The system evaluates the need for elevated access and, if everything meets security protocols, grants temporary elevated permissions for the task. During this session, the system records and analyzes the actions taken, ensuring compliance and maintaining a clear audit trail.
At the end of the session, once the task is completed or after a set time limit, the system automatically revokes the temporary privileges. This process ensures that no unnecessary access remains after the task is finished, and the session logs, along with any explanations provided by the user, are stored for compliance purposes.
This fully automated approval process streamlines operations while keeping security tight.
Both manual and automated JIT access models strengthen privileged access security by granting temporary permissions instead of standing access. However, the key difference lies in how access is approved and governed based on contextual security factors.
Choosing the right model
Manual JIT Access is better for high-risk, sensitive actions requiring human judgment. Automated JIT Access is best for routine, policy-based tasks where real-time security controls can determine access dynamically. While both models enhance privileged access security, automated JIT access leverages contextual security more effectively by applying real-time risk analysis and policy enforcement.
More JIT Resources:
Blogs
Just-in-Time privileged access eliminates the danger of standing privileges
How Just-in-Time privilege elevation prevents data breaches and lateral movement
Products
Server Suite - Manage Just-in-Time PAM across Linux, UNIX & Windows
Tools
Server Suite Free - for organizations with a limited number of Linux systems with up to 200 servers
Video
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