Guest blog courtesy of CYRISMA.
Access control forms the foundation of zero-trust security and effective data governance, helping organizations protect their sensitive information and minimize the risk of a breach. It involves policies, processes, and technologies designed to ensure that only authorized individuals or systems can access specific data, systems, networks, or physical spaces.
One of the fundamental principles associated with access control is the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP), which dictates that users should have only the minimum level of access necessary to perform their tasks. While granting appropriate access to employees to be effective at their jobs is crucial, revoking access at the right time is equally important to ensure that your data remains secure. In this post, we touch briefly upon least-privilege access and discuss the best practices for access revocation when users no longer need a resource.
The Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP)
The Principle of Least Privilege is a fundamental security concept that dictates users, systems, or processes should have the minimum level of access necessary to perform their assigned tasks—and no more. This approach reduces the risk of accidental or malicious misuse of access rights, minimizing the potential impact of security breaches.
Key Aspects of PoLP
PoLP and Admin-level/Privileged Access
Admin or privileged access refers to higher-level permissions that allow users to perform critical actions, such as:
Admin-level access is inherently powerful, and misuse—whether accidental or intentional—can lead to significant security and operational risks. Applying PoLP to privileged access ensures that these elevated permissions are tightly controlled.
At what point should organizations revoke access to protected resources?
One of the critical steps involved in strong access control and implementing PoLP is revoking access to sensitive data or resources as soon as the business need is met, or it is determined that the user – whether an employee or third-party – should no longer have access.
Access should be revoked at specific points to ensure data security, prevent unauthorized use, and maintain compliance with governance policies.
When an Employee Leaves the Organization
When Job Roles Change
After Contract Termination or Project Completion (for Third Parties)
When Access is Misused or a Security Breach Occurs
When Access is Unused for an Extended Period
Upon Detection of Policy Violations
Best Practices for Access Revocation
By revoking access at the right time, organizations mitigate the risks associated with unauthorized access while also strengthening their data governance. Strong access settings cannot be on set-and-forget mode and need regular assessment and checks to prevent configuration drift and unexpected data exposure. Ensure that you have concrete access revocation policies that are rigorously implemented to keep sensitive data secure at all times.
How CYRISMA can help
CYRISMA’s cyber risk management platform includes multiple tools and assessments to help you implement strong access controls and assess existing controls for security and compliance.
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