Why Standing Access Keeps Causing Breaches:

A Practical Guide to Continuous Least Privilege

Standing access isn’t just technical debt — it’s one of the most reliable paths attackers use to move quietly through modern cloud environments. This guide breaks down why traditional least-privilege models fail at cloud speed and how security teams are shifting to continuous least privilege as the foundation for Zero Standing Privilege.

According to the 2025 Verizon DBIR, identity-driven attacks continue to rise — with valid credentials and excessive privileges playing a central role.
The average cost of a breach is $4.44M, climbing to $4.92M in malicious insider incidents.

What This Guide Will Help You Understand

• Why identity-driven breaches continue to rise in cloud-native environments

• Where traditional least-privilege models break down at scale

• How continuous least privilege keeps access aligned with real usage

• How continuous least privilege lays the groundwork for Zero Standing Privilege (ZSP)

• How automation and context make least-privilege guardrails practical — not painful

• A clear framework for reducing breach risk without slowing engineering velocity

Who This Guide Is For

This guide is designed for:

• CISOs and Heads of Security

• Cloud Security and IAM leaders

• DevSecOps and Platform Engineering teams

• Security architects evaluating Cloud PAM or ZSP initiatives

If you’re trying to reduce access risk without slowing delivery, this guide is for you.

About Apono

Apono automates Zero Standing Privileges for cloud environments by delivering just-in-time, just-enough access across both human and non-human identities. With policy-based automation, access is granted only when needed — and removed the moment it isn’t.

Want to see how continuous least privilege works in practice?

👉 Book a demo with us