Teleport, a leader in secure infrastructure access, has rolled out significant updates to its Teleport Policy platform aimed at boosting the security of critical resources within organizations’ computing infrastructure. The latest features—centered around “Crown Jewel” tagging and improved access control monitoring—are designed to help organizations reduce alert fatigue and focus their attention on the most vital systems. With enhanced visibility into access variances and the ability to identify shadow access points, the new capabilities provide a streamlined approach to securing mission-critical assets.
As companies continue to rely on increasingly complex hybrid cloud environments, traditional access control methods are proving insufficient. Teleport Policy’s updates address this by providing granular governance of access policies, helping organizations cut through the noise of countless security alerts and instead prioritize the most critical resources, often referred to as “crown jewels.”
“Security teams are managing increasingly complex systems in today’s infrastructure,” says Ev Kontsevoy, CEO of Teleport. “You can’t rely on traditional access control methods anymore. You need visibility, prioritization, and proactive risk management. The capabilities we’ve introduced not only improve security but the efficiency of security teams. Clear, actionable insight reduces the time spent on manually identifying risks and lets teams focus on strategic initiatives.”
Crown Jewels: A New Approach to Prioritizing Critical Resources
The standout feature of this update, “Crown Jewels,” allows security teams to prioritize the protection of high-value resources, such as sensitive databases or mission-critical applications. By closely monitoring changes in access paths or permissions related to these assets, Teleport Policy reduces the risk of important alerts being lost in the noise of less critical updates.
With this feature, organizations can now create distinct sets of crown jewels across various departments, empowering teams to focus on protecting their specific critical resources. This not only streamlines the monitoring process but also ensures that the highest-priority systems receive the attention they need, without overwhelming observability teams with unnecessary alerts.
Tackling Shadow Access: The SSH Key Discovery Feature
One of the biggest vulnerabilities organizations face today is shadow access—undocumented or unauthorized entry points created through SSH keys, which can be exploited by attackers to gain backdoor access to critical systems. Teleport’s new SSH Key Discovery feature is designed to uncover these hidden vulnerabilities.
“Without this feature, organizations run the risk of unknowingly leaving critical systems exposed,” says Alexander Klizhentas, CTO of Teleport. “Shadow access can lead to a breach, as attackers often exploit such hidden pathways. Those blind spots have to be eliminated to tighten overall security.”
The discovery tool allows teams to identify and assess the permissions of SSH keys across their infrastructure, offering real-time insight into where unauthorized or excess access exists, and empowering organizations to quickly close these gaps.
Real-Time Visibility for Stale or Overprivileged Access
Teleport’s update also includes a real-time dashboard that provides immediate visibility into standing privileges, allowing security teams to identify overprivileged or stale accounts that may pose a risk. The dashboard enables Identity and Access Management (IAM) teams to better enforce the principle of least privilege, ensuring that users only have access to the resources they absolutely need.
“One of the hardest challenges for security teams is easily identifying and prioritizing users with standing privileges or policies that leave resources exposed,” Klizhentas explains. “Without this visibility, potential security risks could go unnoticed, leaving critical resources vulnerable to breaches.”
By giving teams a clearer view of standing permissions, the platform helps eliminate overprivileged accounts and strengthens the overall security posture.
Building a Stronger Security Posture Amid Complex Networks
Teleport Policy’s latest features provide a critical boost for organizations managing complex hybrid cloud environments and looking to strengthen their security posture without being overwhelmed by an endless stream of alerts. The platform’s unified management of access policies for both human and machine users across various services—such as Kubernetes, databases, and cloud environments—ensures that risky access patterns are identified in real-time and mitigated before they lead to security incidents.
As the landscape of cyber threats continues to evolve, Teleport’s updates position it as an essential tool for modern infrastructure security, offering organizations the ability to protect their crown jewels while addressing long-standing challenges like shadow access and overprivileged users. With these enhancements, security teams can be more proactive, reducing the risk of breaches and ensuring their critical systems remain secure.
For organizations looking to navigate the complexities of modern infrastructure security, Teleport’s updated platform offers a robust, streamlined solution that balances proactive protection with efficiency.