Robotic Process Automation poses a high security risk

Companies are increasingly turning to Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in the areas of process control and automation. Its use promises many advantages: Time and cost savings, increased quality, consistency and transparency by reducing manual activities, and elimination of redundant processes.

Problem access data

However, without adequate security measures, RPA implementation is associated with significant risks, such as CyberArk emphasizes. As soon as software robots routinely automate and execute business processes across multiple systems, they need access data, often even privileged rights, for example when accessing databases and applications or when connecting to system APIs. If attackers - be they insiders or external hackers - come into possession of such rights, there is a great danger that they will gain access to the entire network.

The credentials required for automation to access systems, applications and confidential data are usually provided by the RPA solution, for example for Windows accounts or SAP applications. However, the credentials are not adequately managed and protected by the RPA platform - and not changed regularly.

Central management and security needed

To minimize the risks posed by RPA platforms, centralized management and security of robot access data is therefore of paramount importance, i.e., complementary credential management is required. It must ensure that all credentials are provisioned in an automated, dynamic and secure manner and that all administrative access is monitored. In addition, it is imperative to also protect the RPA systems themselves from unauthorized access, i.e., the RPA server infrastructure and the individual robot instances.

"For security, securing privileged accounts and access is generally an absolute must. And the entire IT infrastructure with its users must always be taken into account, especially if the users are robots and have automated access to many systems. Robots are often granted more extensive rights than a single human. This allows them to run extensive processes, but also increases the risk of them being misappropriated," explains Michael Kleist, Regional Director DACH at CyberArk. "Without the use of adequate security solutions, the increasing automation of business processes using RPA creates a new, extremely attractive target for all potential attackers."

Source: CyberArk