Privileged / administrator account
Also called: admin account, domain admin
In one sentence
An account with elevated powers: installing software, changing settings, managing other users. A prime target because it controls everything.
Administrator accounts can change security settings, add or remove users, and access all data. If an attacker captures one, a small intrusion becomes a total compromise, so these accounts deserve the strongest protection and shouldn't be used for daily email or browsing.
Why it's on your cyber insurance application
Applications ask specifically whether MFA protects privileged accounts and how many exist.
What this looks like in practice
Open your admin center and list who holds administrator rights today. In most small businesses that list is longer than anyone expects: the owner, an IT contractor from 2022, a vendor support account nobody remembers approving. The fix is a separate admin account that never reads email, used only when admin work is actually being done.
How the Readiness Check scores it
The free Check asks the same question a carrier will. Here it is, why it's asked, and the fix if today's honest answer is no. The full application question list has the rest.
MFA & identity
Is MFA required for remote access (VPN, remote desktop) and administrator accounts?
Why carriers ask: Stolen credentials are the most common way attackers get in. Nearly every carrier now requires MFA on email, remote access, and admin accounts as a condition of coverage.
If the answer is no: Inventory every remote entry point (VPN, RDP, remote-support tools) and privileged account; enforce MFA on each or shut it off.
The written evidence carriers accept
A “yes” on the application needs a document behind it. In the Readiness Pack, those documents are:
- Access Control & Account Management Policy
- Password & Multi-Factor Authentication Policy (preview its opening sections)
Related terms
Would you pass this question today?
The free Readiness Check scores you across the ten control domains carriers probe, in five minutes, no email required for the score.