We would like to request the introduction of a dedicated Break-Glass Security Officer account within the Veeam Infrastructure Appliance.
Current Situation
Currently, access to the Veeam Infrastructure Appliance requires the use of Security Officer accounts protected by MFA. While this is the preferred and secure approach for normal operations, there are emergency scenarios in which all authorized Security Officer account holders may be unavailable, or access to the MFA mechanism itself may be disrupted. Yes, there is a recovery key, but a recovery key should not be considered a viable emergency access strategy. In our opinion, relying solely on a recovery key is not an adequate contingency concept for critical situations. A dedicated break-glass account would provide a more practical and operationally reliable emergency access mechanism when standard Security Officer accounts or MFA are unavailable.
In such situations, administrative access to the appliance could become impossible, potentially delaying critical recovery or operational activities.
Requested Enhancement
We request the option to create and maintain a dedicated Break-Glass Security Officer account that can be used exclusively for emergency access scenarios when standard Security Officer accounts are unavailable.
This account should be exempt from MFA requirements and intended solely as an emergency access mechanism. To minimize security concerns, the feature should be completely optional:
Customers who require emergency access can enable and configure the account.
Customers who do not want to accept the associated risk can simply choose not to create or activate the account.
Appropriate warnings and documentation can be provided to ensure customers understand the security implications.
Business Justification
The availability of a Break-Glass Security Officer account would:
- Provide a reliable emergency access path during critical incidents.
- Reduce the risk of administrative lockout situations.
- Improve operational resilience and business continuity.
- Allow organizations to balance security requirements with emergency recovery needs based on their own risk policies.
An organization operates a Veeam Infrastructure Appliance with MFA-enabled Security Officer accounts. During a critical incident, all personnel with Security Officer access are unavailable, or the MFA infrastructure is not functioning. A preconfigured Break-Glass Security Officer account would allow authorized personnel to regain emergency access to the appliance and perform necessary recovery actions while maintaining an optional and customer-controlled security model.
Thank you!
Best regards,
Miklas Henne