Not all ghosts go “boo.” Some quietly linger in your IT environment, unnoticed and unmonitored, until a cyber criminal comes along and takes advantage. These are ghost accounts. And while they may sound harmless, they could be one of the most significant hidden risks to your business.
Key Takeaways:
- What makes ghost accounts even more dangerous is that many still hold high-level or admin access.
- Forgotten accounts often fly under the radar because no one’s actively monitoring them.
- For more tips on keeping your business safe, enrol in the free Cyber Wardens training program.
What are ghost accounts?
Ghost accounts are inactive or forgotten user accounts with access to your systems, networks, or data. They often stick about long after their original purpose has ended. Common examples include:
- Old employee accounts that were never disabled.
- Cloud service logins for tools or apps your business no longer uses.
- Partner portal accounts left over from past collaborations.
These accounts are easy to forget, but hackers don’t forget. In fact, they actively seek them out.
Why ghost accounts are dangerous?
Ghost accounts might seem harmless or even invisible, but to cyber criminals, they’re shining targets just waiting to be found. These forgotten accounts often fly under the radar because no one’s actively monitoring them. Hackers regularly scan for unused accounts, knowing these are the ones most likely to go unnoticed.
What makes ghost accounts even more dangerous is that many still hold high-level or admin access, giving attackers robust control if they manage to break in. And since these accounts are inactive, suspicious activity, such as unexpected logins or unusual data transfers, can go unnoticed for months.
In other words, ghost accounts open a back door to your business that you may not even know exists.
How to bust your ghost accounts
The good news? You don’t need an exorcist. Just solid cyber practices:
- Audit regularly: Review user accounts on a scheduled basis to catch inactive or unnecessary ones.
- Enforce offboarding: Ensure employee and contractor accounts are disabled immediately after departure.
- Use role-based access controls: Give users only the access they need for their role.
- Enable account expiration dates: Set accounts for temporary users or projects to expire automatically.
By shining a light on ghost accounts and tightening your access controls, you can keep your business safe from the cyber criminals lurking in the shadows.
For more tips on keeping your business safe, enrol in the free Cyber Wardens training program.
