Key Insights
Most privilege remediation workflows assume a simple model: find the path, remove the path, mark it resolved.
That logic holds until an identity reaches the same privileged role through more than one independent route.
The False Closure Problem
Redundant paths accumulate when access grows without anyone tracking whether the same destination is already reachable. A new group gets added for a project. A second group holding the same privileged role gets reused for a different initiative. The same identity now reaches Global Administrator through two structurally independent chains. Remove one, and the privilege remains. The ticket closes. The exposure does not.
What Path-Blind Reviews Miss
Most access reviews tell you a user is privileged. They do not tell you there are two or three independent structural paths that explain why. Without that view, remediation is guesswork—you are as likely to remove the wrong path as the right one.
Redundant paths also change who owns the fix. This is not a single-edge problem. It requires coordinated remediation, one accountable owner, and a verification step: confirm the path count has actually reached zero before marking anything resolved.
One hidden path is exposure. Multiple hidden paths are persistence—and standard remediation workflows are not built for it.
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