Question

Read five articles and discuss the principle of least privilege in at least 500 words. Explain how this principle impacts data security.

Answer 1

The principle of least privilege (POLP), an important concept in computer security, is the practice of limiting access rights for users to the bare minimum permissions they need to perform their work. Under POLP, users are granted permission to read, write or execute only the files or resources they need to do their jobs: In other words, the least amount of privilege necessary.

Additionally, the principle of least privilege can be applied to restricting access rights for applications, systems, processes and devices to only those permissions required to perform authorized activities.

Depending on the system, some privilege assignments may be based on attributes that are role-based, such as business units like marketing, human resources or IT, in addition to other parameters such as location, seniority, special circumstances or time of day. Depending on the operating system in use, administrators may need to tailor the different default privilege settings available for different types of user accounts.

Applying the principle of least privilege to standard user accounts means granting a limited set of privileges -- just enough privileges for users to get their jobs done, but no more than that. This type of account should be the template for ordinary employees -- least privileged users (LPUs) -- who do not need to manage or administer systems or network resources. These are the type of accounts that most users should be operating the majority of the time.

As an essential aspect of IT security, the principle of least privilege is one of the most important security policies enterprises must enforce. It is designed to improve the protection of data and functionality from faults, i.e., fault tolerance, as well as from malicious behavior. Organizations that follow the principle of least privilege ensure that users don't have more access to systems and data than they need to do their jobs.

For example, an HR staffer may need read and write access to the enterprise payroll database, but that same employee would have no need to access the enterprise client database; at the same time, an employee in the sales department would need access to the client database, but would be denied access to the payroll database.

Ensuring that employees are assigned the correct privileges prevents giving employees access to systems they don't need while also preventing malicious workers from accessing systems or data outside of their job functions. In addition, if an employee's credentials are compromised, the thief can only gain that employee's privileges.

However, the principle of least privilege isn't just about taking away privileges from users who don't need them. It is also about monitoring and managing access for those who do need access such as software developers.

Security teams should use privileged access management tools to audit their development environments to prevent privilege creep, the gradual accumulation of access rights beyond what developers need to do their jobs. Teams should also monitor when and how developers use their accounts so security information and event management tools can immediately identify irregular activity.

References:

• https://www.beyondtrust.com/blog/entry/what-is-least-privilege
• https://digitalguardian.com/blog/what-principle-least-privilege-polp-best-practice-information-security-and-compliance
• https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/principle-of-least-privilege-POLP