The Increasing Prevalence of Zombie Credentials

When organizations think about cybersecurity, they usually think about sophisticated attacks. But not every threat works that way. Some of the biggest risks come from accounts that should have been deleted but never were, and PeopleSoft environments are no exception.

These are known as zombie credentials.

What are zombie credentials?

Zombie credentials are accounts or access permissions that remain active after they are no longer needed. They typically show up in three ways.

Former employees may still have valid login credentials. Vendors and contractors can keep access long after an engagement ends. And service accounts and integrations often outlive the systems they were created to support, which is a common blind spot in PeopleSoft ecosystems.

Why they become a problem

Unused accounts are often overlooked by security teams. Attackers don’t overlook them.

Because no one expects these accounts to be used, they may avoid scrutiny. Many also retain privileged access that is no longer justified. Put those two things together, and a single forgotten account can become an entry point into critical systems.

How they accumulate

Zombie credentials are usually the result of poor identity lifecycle management. They build up gradually rather than all at once.

Projects end without vendor access being revoked. Employees leave, but their accounts stay active. Temporary permissions become permanent through oversight, especially in complex PeopleSoft security setups. None of these is a dramatic failure on its own, which is exactly why they are easy to miss.

Mitigating the risk

Managing credentials should be an ongoing process, not a one-time task. Three practices make the difference.

Every account should have a clearly identified owner. Access should be reviewed regularly and removed when it is no longer required. And automated provisioning and deprovisioning can help eliminate forgotten accounts before they accumulate.

A core principle of zero trust

Strong cybersecurity isn’t only about preventing new threats. It’s also about removing old ones.

That idea is central to zero trust. Unnecessary accounts should be eliminated before they become liabilities. The principle of least privilege should apply to every identity. And access should be treated as temporary unless there is a clear reason to keep it.

Closing the gap

Whoever they belong to, forgotten credentials create unnecessary attack paths that often go unnoticed. PeopleSoft environments are no exception.

Spyre Solutions offers PeopleSoft access audits and automated provisioning and deprovisioning services to help you close these gaps before they’re exploited.