While all this innovation can be incredibly exciting, there’s a downside we can’t ignore.

Cybercriminals are harnessing AI’s power, too.

JumpCloud’s data reveals that 33% of cyberattacks are now AI-generated, up from 25% in the last six months — that’s an 8% increase in less than a year. 

This escalation shows that AI-driven threats are evolving much faster than traditional security tools can handle. In fact, 67% of IT professionals are concerned that AI’s rapid rise outpaces their ability to secure against AI-driven threats.

In the past, you might have relied on firewalls, antivirus software, and the occasional network scan to keep your systems safe. But the game has changed…

A New Foe Has Entered the Arena: AI

AI-assisted intrusions can quickly adapt to your defenses, exploit vulnerabilities, and sneak past even well-established security measures. Like in other facets of our lives, AI-generated content can be hard to discern from genuine human-made content… which means it’s often better than what criminals used to contrive.

As an IT professional, your role as a leader has never been more critical; your organization depends on you to stay ahead of these adaptive attacks.

So, how do you tackle this new breed of threats? Here are a few steps to consider: 👇

1️⃣ Strengthen endpoint security by adopting EDR/XDR tools that detect anomalies in real time and respond automatically.

2️⃣ Fight fire with fire by investing in AI-driven security analytics. Tools like SIEM or SOAR have machine learning capabilities that flag unusual activity.

3️⃣ Adopt Zero Trust frameworks for strict access controls and continuous monitoring, minimizing the chance of attackers moving laterally within your environment.

4️⃣ Stay informed about the latest AI-driven attack patterns by leveraging trusted threat intelligence platforms like ISACs.

5️⃣ Develop a cyber-aware culture with ongoing training and phishing simulations. Regular, engaging sessions help employees recognize AI-enhanced phishing or social engineering.

By applying these modern strategies, rather than just hoping the old methods still work, you can effectively shield your organization from the rising tide of AI-generated threats.

After all, keeping intruders at bay today is how we pave the way for a stronger, more resilient tomorrow. ✌️

For more insights, dive into JumpCloud’s Q1 ʼ25 SME IT Trends report, where we unpack the biggest shifts, the sharpest threats, and the smartest defenses transforming IT today.

In today’s rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape, admin portals are the gateways to your organization. As such, they are prime targets for attackers looking to exploit vulnerabilities for financial gain, data theft, or operational disruption. Organizations that fail to secure these portals risk breaches, regulatory fines, and reputational damage.

This blog leverages the 4-3-2-1 framework to explain why admin portal access security matters and how JumpCloud helps protect your most privileged resource with a single identity of users with admin roles.

4 Reasons Admin Portal Security is Critical

Admin Portals Are the Keys to the Kingdom

Admin portals provide privileged access to an organization’s most sensitive systems like identities, devices, emails, and more. A compromise can have catastrophic consequences, leading to brand and reputation damage. In the wrong hands, an admin role can be used to manipulate systems, steal valuable data, or disrupt operations entirely. Protecting the admin portal is crucial to safeguarding the entire organization’s security posture.

Credential Compromise Is the Top Attack Vector

Weak or stolen credentials are the leading cause of data breaches across industries. Admin portals, in particular, are high-value targets for attackers, as they provide unrestricted access to sensitive systems and critical infrastructure. Phishing, brute-force attacks, and credential stuffing are just a few methods attackers use to escalate privileges, bypass security controls, and cause widespread damage. 

Protecting these accounts with a strong authentication method as a second factor, alongside password as the first factor, is essential for reducing the risk of breaches.

Orphaned Admin Accounts Are a Hidden Threat

Orphaned admin accounts if left active after an employee leaves the company or changes roles, pose a significant security risk. These accounts often remain unnoticed and unmonitored, creating potential entry points for malicious actors to gain unauthorized access, bypassing controls that would normally prevent them. 

This risk is particularly high when admin roles are not tied to a centralized user identity management system, leading to unrevoked access even after an employee is no longer with the company.

Compliance Demands Tight Admin Controls

Many industries are governed by strict regulatory frameworks such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, which require organizations to implement robust security controls around admin access. Failure to enforce strong admin access policies such as MFA and role-based access controls can lead to regulatory penalties, legal consequences, and a loss of customer trust. 

Additionally, maintaining detailed audit logs and tracking admin activities is a key compliance requirement, ensuring that any unusual or unauthorized access can be detected and investigated promptly.

3 Ways JumpCloud Elevates Security

Single Identity Management

Admin roles, when tied directly to a user’s primary identity, offer several advantages such as centralized identity management and reducing credential or MFA fatigue associated with maintaining separate user and admin accounts. 

JumpCloud’s ability to create admin roles from existing users ensures that when employees leave or change roles, their admin access is automatically revoked, preventing orphaned admin accounts. 

Additionally, when a user with an admin role needs to access the admin portal, they can authenticate using their primary credentials, with a step-up MFA to ensure secure access to the highly privileged resource.

High authentication assurance MFA factors to counter modern attacks

Cyber adversaries are evolving their tactics, using phishing, man-in-the-middle attacks, and token theft to bypass traditional MFA methods.

With JumpCloud, admins can configure phishing resistant passwordless MFA methods for users with admin roles and secure the admin portal with JumpCloud Go or WebAuthn-based (FIDO2) device authenticators or hardware security keys. This offers advanced, secure access protection, thus ensuring credentials alone are not enough to access the “keys to the kingdom.”

Always-On MFA for secure access to admin portal

Always-on MFA is essential to safeguard critical systems like the admin portal. This continuous layer of authentication from JumpCloud ensures that only verified users with admin roles are granted access using advanced MFA methods every time they access a sensitive and privileged resource like the admin portal.

2 Real-World Outcomes You’ll Achieve

Streamlined Security Across the Organization

Simplify and secure identity lifecycle management with centralized control, streamlined access, a high level of security for JumpCloud Admin Portal; plus you can ensure no orphaned admin accounts are left behind, reducing the risk of breaches.

Regulatory Compliance Made Simple

Detailed audit logs traceable to the user and their actions based on roles, and always-on MFA help you meet compliance requirements while reducing potential penalties for non-compliance.

1 Action to Take Today

Admin Portal security is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. 

Organizations must adopt a proactive approach to securing their most privileged accounts. The stakes are high – one breach can lead to financial losses, operational disruptions, and lasting reputational damage.

As Super Admins (Administrators with Billing) of your organization, it is essential that you manage your admins from existing users and secure their access to the JumpCloud Admin portal right away. JumpCloud’s robust phishing resistant JumpCloud Go, WebAuthn-based device authenticators, hardware security keys, and JumpCloud Protect are all native, fully-integrated MFA methods that you can leverage to do so.

Learn more to protect what matters most. Secure your JumpCloud Admin Portal today.If you are new to JumpCloud and interested as an IT admin, Sign up for a free demo today to explore the JumpCloud platform offerings and start managing your entire IT infrastructure of devices and identity, efficiently from one console. You can also experience our guided simulations.