Part of Cyber Security Awareness Month 2025
As organisations modernise, connect OT systems, and embrace cloud-first strategies, one truth stands out: identity is now a foundation when it comes to security. Network boundaries no longer protect what matters most. Instead, cyber resilience now depends on verifying, protecting, and monitoring every digital identity.
During Cyber Security Awareness Month, we’re challenging the assumption that “strong passwords” and “multi-factor authentication (MFA)” are enough. These measures are essential, but they only guard the door. True identity resilience starts when organisations secure the people, processes, and technologies behind every login.
The Risk Landscape: Identity as the Primary Attack Vector
Nation-state actors and cyber criminals increasingly target identity weaknesses to infiltrate systems. Credential theft, session hijacking, and supply chain compromise are now key intrusion methods observed across global Security Operations Centres (SOCs).
For industries such as manufacturing, local government, retail, and critical national infrastructure (CNI), these attacks have physical consequences. Stolen credentials often allow adversaries to move between IT and operational technology (OT) environments, threatening uptime, safety, and service delivery.
Attackers rarely need new exploits. They exploit trust through reused passwords, dormant admin accounts, and unmonitored service identities. In modern hybrid environments, identity has become the attacker’s easiest entry point.
Beyond “Strong Passwords”: From Compliance to Context
Password hygiene remains important, but it’s no longer a differentiator. Even complex passwords are phished or reused across systems. Weak credential practices create unnecessary noise in SOC environments, generating false positives and wasting analyst time.
At e2e-assure, we help organisations move beyond surface-level password management. Through identity-aware threat detection and monitoring, our analysts identify when a legitimate account begins behaving abnormally. This approach reduces false alerts, accelerates response, and delivers meaningful visibility across your IT and OT environments.
MFA in Context: Balancing Protection and Practicality
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is now a baseline security requirement under frameworks such as the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF), NIS2 Directive, and the upcoming Cyber Resilience Bill.
However, enforcing MFA indiscriminately in operational technology environments can cause friction or even unsafe workarounds. Identity resilience means applying MFA intelligently, balancing protection with usability.
For practical insights into creating security that works for people as well as systems, read our previous Cyber Security Awareness month blog: 10 Ways to improve your individual security.
Identity as a Strategic Asset
Identity security is more than an access control issue. Every digital interaction, from supplier logins to remote maintenance, relies on trust. Attackers increasingly exploit that trust through social engineering, deepfakes, and insider compromise.
As Callum, Lead SOC Analyst at e2e-assure, notes:
“Attackers don’t always hack technology. They hack trust. They mimic behaviour, exploit authority, and use identities that look legitimate.”
Modern identity-centric security requires cultural change as well as technology. Staff training, behavioural monitoring, and treating identity data as critical infrastructure are essential to building resilience.
Building Identity Resilience with e2e-assure
At e2e-assure, we help organisations detect and respond to identity-driven threats through our 24/7 SOC services. Our analysts combine behavioural analytics, contextual monitoring, and proactive threat hunting to stop compromised accounts before they become breaches.
Whether you are protecting cloud identities, OT operator accounts, or third-party access, we provide the visibility and assurance needed to keep your organisation secure and operational.
Book a call with the e2e-assure team to explore how identity resilience can strengthen your organisation’s operational uptime.
