User permissions and two factor authentication are the most important element of a robust security system. The ability to manage permissions for users is a crucial tool in decreasing the chance that malicious or accidental insider activities will occur, minimising the impact of data breaches and maintaining regulatory compliance.
1. Minimize the Risk of Insider Threats
A common method for limiting access to users is to use the principle of least privilege which stipulates that users must be granted the minimum level of privileges needed to fulfill their job responsibilities. This can reduce the impact of any illegal action that is performed by employees or third-party vendors.
2. Reduce the Risk of Data Breach
Many industries are subject to strict regulations that require strong data protection practices. By controlling user permissions companies can ensure compliance by making sure that only authorized individuals have access to sensitive data.
3. Reduce the risk of third-party vendor activity
Many data breaches are the result of compromised credentials held by third-party vendors. Regularly reviewing and updating user permissions can help to reduce the risk of unauthorized access by external vendors.
4. Give Privilege Escalation Flexibility
Role-based access control (RBAC) is a well-known method of managing permissions for users that grants access rights according to predefined roles. These roles can be nested in order to allow fine-grained access control. For example that a senior physician might be granted more privileges than a junior doctor when it comes to accessing patient data. Additionally, RBAC can be configured to require two-factor authentication (2FA) for lasikpatient.org certain roles to reduce the risk of unauthorized access, even in the event that the password has been compromised.
