Business processes require specific resources to perform optimally, and these resources are used by individuals and non-physical entities like applications, modules, and operations.
System administrators control the resource allocations to the individuals and processes, but unfortunately, it creates a significant risk for the organization’s data. The data is often exposed to illegitimate access, and there’s a high possibility of the information being altered or erased.
As most businesses have cloud computing services at the core of their business, this creates massive uncertainty for those businesses. That is why companies hire data security professionals who use different strategies like the principle of least privilege (PoLP), limiting resource and permission allocation to the users, applications, modules, and processes.
You’d be surprised to know how effective it can be for enterprise security. Here are four benefits of the least privilege principle for corporate data security.
- Better system stability
When the standard users have access to more information than they need to have, it can affect business stability, and even lead to data loss due to human error.
The unauthorized access can lead to more catastrophic consequences such as changes in the core system architecture which can cause the whole system databases to tumble.
PoLP restricts the access rights given to different users. The principle uses the separation of duty(SoD) concept to classify the users, programs, APIs, applications, and modules and provides only the essential resources.
Restricting the excess resources makes the system faster and reduces the chances of the resources being misused to create inconsistencies knowingly or unknowingly.
The SoD concept also determines what permissions a user or other non-people entities can receive. This helps ensure that only the people with legitimate permissions for using specific resources can access them, thus improving data safety while also resulting in better resource utilization.
- Reduces the impact of the attack
When you restrict users’ access to the resources, you create the virtual ground they can play, which means they cannot go beyond the restricted area of their allotted resources.
Whenever a hacker or unauthorized program gains illegitimate access through a standard user, it can only damage the space assigned to the user. That is how PoLP minimizes the damage of an attack. The principle breaks the chain reactions of attacks by creating a barrier between different resources through user access permissions.
For example, if an unauthorized entity somehow breaks the two-factor authentication of the login system, it can only affect the only part of the program that the original user has access to. This can help protect significant parts of the cloud data.
- No malware spread
The superuser or administrators usually have access to the whole system, which increases the chance of being affected by a malware attack. The Separation of Duty concept of PoLP creates a classification of duties, so only the responsible people have access to the resources of their team or department.
That means if the malware enters from the superuser’s account, it cannot spread across the whole system. The principle emphasizes delegating different responsibilities to different people instead of creating a centralized system with a single impact point.
For example, the superuser may not have access to the data of the design team, and only the design head can access the data and allow or deny outside entrance. The same goes for every department and team. This will significantly limit the spread of malware, giving you more time to react and take steps to protect your data and eliminate the threat.
- Efficient internal audits and monitoring
The threat does not necessarily come from the outside; it may come from the inside too. Often, authorized users knowingly or unknowingly can misuse the resources, make the system more vulnerable to threads, and cause data leaks due to negligence.
That is why internal audits and monitoring are essential to reveal internal safety vulnerabilities and take necessary actions to fix them.
The principle of least privilege emphasizes limiting access to sensitive resources by only allowing the users who need them. This reduces the possibility of security breaches to a great extent. Reducing the point of contact to sensitive resources and data can help protect the company’s core foundation.
When PoLP secures all the entry points, it’s easier to identify illegitimate access permissions and deal with them before they cause any severe attacks on the system.
The PoLP establishes an arsenal of data protection policies protecting your company from data breaches and malware attacks. Ensure you find the right professionals who will help you secure your system and cloud operations by securing the system with the PoLP safety principle.