The crisis of trust and the evolution of security architecture 

The modern cybersecurity landscape is one of ever-increasing threat complexity. Traditional perimeter defense models that have served as the foundation of information security for decades have lost their effectiveness. The concept of a “fortress,” where users within the network were trusted by default, has been shattered by the reality of hybrid offices and cloud infrastructures.

Within this context, the Zero Trust paradigm has become the standard, but its implementation is often limited to strict identity and access management (IAM) and network segmentation. This leaves a critical architectural gap: a lack of profound visibility into what happens after successful authentication.

This article provides an analysis of the issues with a focus on the Syteca (ex-Ekran System) solution and User Activity Monitoring (UAM) technology. We will look at how UAM transforms the Zero Trust concept from “check-in at the entrance” to “continuous verification of actions”, providing protection against insider threats among both privileged administrators and ordinary business users.

Why perimeter no longer works

According to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report 2024, a significant proportion of successful data breaches involve the use of legitimate credentials. Attackers no longer “break” the door, they “enter” through it using compromised identities. In such scenarios, traditional defenses (Firewalls, IDS) become ineffective because the traffic appears authorized. 
Insider threats—whether deliberate malicious actions or unintentional negligence—are becoming increasingly costly. Studies prove that insider incidents involving negligence occur an average of 13.5 times per year in an organization. This highlights the need to control not only who gained access but also how this access is used. 

Missing Piece Zero Trust: What is missing for complete security? 

Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), according to NIST SP 800-207, is based on the principle of "never trust, always verify." But in practice, this verification often ends the moment the user enters their login.
A typical Zero Trust implementation focuses on authentication (MFA, SSO) and network access (ZTNA). These technologies are great at verifying who tries to log in. However, they don't see the context of the user's actions after authorization. This creates a “trust paradox”: the system requires complex passwords at login but in fact gives complete freedom for actions within the session.

The “post-authentication” gap

The post-authentication gap is the “blind spot” between the moment a user logs in and the moment they log out. If a legitimate user decides to copy their customer database to a flash drive or run an unauthorized script, network tools won't notice because the connection is legitimate and encrypted.
This is where UAM becomes a critical component. It provides visibility at the application and data levels, answering the question: “Is this verified user acting safely right now?” 

Syteca UAM: Deep visibility technology

Syteca's UAM functionality goes beyond simple logging. It is a context capture system that transforms the “black box” of a user session into a transparent, indexed data stream.

Visual session recording and metadata indexing

One of the key advantages is that sessions are recorded in video format, synchronized with text metadata. This allows you to search videos as easily as text (Google-like search). 
Syteca indexes the following parameters: 
● Active windows and processes. Building a timeline for working with business applications. ● Keystrokes. Identifying specific commands, keywords, or analyzing the tone of communication. ● URLs. Tracking visited resources even in secure HTTPS sessions. ● Clipboard. Control Copy/Paste operations to track data movement between corporate and personal environments. ● USB devices. Monitoring of the external media connection at the driver level.

Real-time response

Syteca transforms passive monitoring into active protection. The system analyzes the metadata stream in real time. When suspicious activity is detected (for example, mass data export or entering the rm -rf command), the system can: 
● Send a warning. Notifying the user about policy violations (learning effect). ● Notify a security specialist. Instant alert with a link to a specific moment in the video. ● Block the action. Automatically terminate the process or lock the user session to prevent an incident.

A differentiated approach: How to configure supervision depending on the user's trust level  

Effective UAM cannot be the same for everyone. Syteca offers an adaptive approach depending on the user's role and risk level.

Privileged users (IT administrators, DevOps)

Administrator actions carry the highest risks due to broad access rights. 
● Specifics of the threat: Technically savvy users can bypass standard controls, use scripts, or change server configurations without documentation. ● UAM strategy: “Zero blindness” policy. ● Forced recording: Continuous monitoring of RDP/SSH sessions that cannot be disabled on the client side. ● Command line monitoring: Indexing every command entered in the terminal, even if it is run through a script. This allows you to find who entered a specific configuration and when, even years ago. ● Live View: The ability for IT security officers to connect to a real-time administrator session to monitor critical operations.

Business users (HR, Finance, Sales)

Regular employees work with the most valuable data (PII, finances) but demand respect for privacy. 
● Specifics of the threat: Negligence, phishing, use of Shadow IT (unauthorized software), “quiet dismissal” with theft of work. ● UAM strategy: Contextual monitoring. ● Focus on applications: Recording is activated only when working with specific business systems (CRM, SAP, Client-Bank) and is automatically disabled when switching to personal resources (news, social networks), if permitted by policy. ● Performance analysis: Identifying anomalies in the work schedule that may indicate account compromise (e.g., accountant activity at 3 a.m.) or preparation for dismissal.

Third parties (Contractors, Vendors)

The supply chain is the #1 attack vector. 
UAM strategy: Agent or agentless scheme via Jump Server. This provides a complete record of the actions of external specialists in your perimeter without the need to install software on their personal laptops. You get legally significant proof of the work performed and a guarantee that the contractor did not go beyond the technical specifications.

Compliance and privacy

Activity monitoring is a mandatory requirement of many regulations, but it must be balanced with human rights.

GDPR and data protection

Syteca bridges the gap between security and privacy through specialized features: 
● Pseudonymization: In reports, usernames are replaced with codes. Disclosure of the real name is possible only through the “four eyes” procedure (with the participation of the DPO). ● Data Masking: Automatically blur confidential fields (card numbers, passwords) in video footage so security administrators cannot access them.

UAM as the foundation of a modern strategy  

Analysis indicates that the Zero Trust model without in-depth monitoring of user activity is incomplete. It protects the “door” but leaves the “room” unattended.

Syteca closes this gap by providing tools for:
● Elimination of blind spots: Full visibility of actions after user authentication. ● Contextual investigation: Ability to understand user's intention through video and metadata, not just dry logs. ● Protection of diverse environments: Unified approach to monitoring administrators (Linux/Windows) and business users.

For organizations building Zero Trust, UAM is no longer a “checkmark” option, but a critical element of the architecture that provides real, not paper-based, security.

Works cited

1. Ekran System Has Announced a Name Change to Syteca, accessed December 2, 2025, https://syteca.bakotech.com/en/ekran-system-has-announced-a-name-change-to-syteca 2. Ekran System Changes Name to Syteca - Security Boulevard, accessed December 2, 2025, https://securityboulevard.com/2024/05/ekran-system-changes-name-to-syteca/ 3. Ekran System Transforms into Syteca, accessed December 2, 2025, https://www.syteca.com/en/blog/ekran-system-becomes-syteca 4. What is Zero Trust? | Google Cloud, accessed December 2, 2025, https://cloud.google.com/learn/what-is-zero-trust 5. Syteca - Microsoft Marketplace, accessed December 2, 2025, https://marketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/apps/syteca.syteca?tab=Overview 6. Syteca, formerly Ekran System | Enterprise Cybersecurity Solutions, accessed December 2, 2025, https://www.syteca.com/en 7. Privileged User Monitoring Solution - Syteca, accessed December 2, 2025, https://www.syteca.com/en/solutions/privileged-user-monitoring 8. Syteca feature overview 1/5: All features at a glance, accessed December 2, 2025, https://syteca.ch/en/syteca-feature-overview-1-5-all-functions-in-one-place/ 9. User Activity Monitoring (UAM) Software | Syteca, accessed December 2, 2025, https://www.syteca.com/en/product/user-activity-monitoring 10. Insider Threat Management Software: Detection, Prevention & Monitoring Tool - Syteca, accessed December 2, 2025, https://www.syteca.com/en/solutions/preventing-insider-threat