Finding the Forgotten: Why Credential Discovery Is Essential To Securing Privileged Remote Access
The Hidden Credential Problem in Privileged Remote Access
Remote access is ubiquitous, spanning endpoints, cloud systems, and third-party connections. But a common blind spot remains: most organizations do not know the full spectrum of privileged accounts and credentials hiding within their networks.
Forgotten admin accounts, orphaned service accounts, and overlooked credentials can create serious security gaps. This is where credential discovery in privileged remote access (PRA) comes in. Some may see this as housekeeping, but it provides strategic insight that keeps your systems secure, clarifies ownership, and eliminates dormant accounts before they become liabilities.
Ghost Accounts Hiding in Plain Sight
Hidden credentials are more common and dangerous than you might think. They include:
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Legacy Admin Accounts: Privileged users that were never decommissioned
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Over-privileged Service Accounts: Machine identities with access exceeding their requirements
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Dormant Identities: Accounts left behind from retired or migrated systems
Without visibility, organizations cannot track who has access to which identities and attackers are quick to exploit this blindness. Credential discovery gives you the ITDR (identity threat detection and response)-style visibility you need to track identities, detect dormant accounts, and ensure every access point is accounted for.
Credential-Based Attacks by the Numbers
The numbers speak for themselves. 2025 has demonstrated the severity of unmanaged credentials:
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160% increase in leaked credentials over the last year (The Hacker News)
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22% of data breaches stemmed from stolen credentials (Verizon 2025 DBIR)
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14,000 compromised credentials detected in a single month (Check Point 2025)
How BeyondTrust Shines a Light on Hidden Credentials
Modern privileged remote access goes beyond simple vaulting, giving teams complete visibility and control over privileged credentials. With the BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access solution, customers benefit from:
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Customer Case Study
Nash County Public Schools: Nash County Public Schools Transforms IT Support with BeyondTrust Remote Support
Latest Available Version
Privileged Remote Access 25.3.2 - February 2026
Beekeepers Hot Topics
PRA Console
“In AWS, we created a Global Accelerator service and associated the Windows machines used by the Risk-Team with this accelerator service. Then, the Risk Team will access the Windows machine using the IP provided by the acceleration service…… So, I would like to know if PRA has its own built-in acceleration service. Or, can I configure AWS Global Accelerator for PRA? This would improve the user experience for staff working in China.”
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Upcoming and In Case You Missed It Webinars:
Road Maps
Upcoming Privileged Remote Access Road Map - April 2nd, 2026
User Groups
2025 Q4 PRA Virtual User Group Recording
Tech Talks & Webinars
Securing "AI Coworkers" on the Endpoint - Upcoming Tech Talk Tuesday - April 7th, 2026
PAM for 2026: AI Identity Control, VPN-Free Access & Zero Standing Privileges
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