Are you aware of who has access to the data and applications within your organization that makes business possible? Every single day your employees, applications, and potential outsiders are accessing private data and utilizing resources that they probably shouldn't be able to. It's important for every business to have some form of minimum access policy that tightly controls who is trusted with certain resources. The principle of least privilege addresses this problem best.
What is the Principle of Least Privilege?
The principle of least privilege (PoLP) refers to a security concept where users or applications are only given access to network resources they need to do their job. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) defines PoLP as a "security best practice" meaning that implementing this control can maximize your organizations security posture.
In this context, "privilege" means the rights that a user or application has to access network resources or perform certain functions. Most people have experienced PoLP concepts in their everyday life. For example, while grocery shopping you are not allowed to walk behind the cash register, enter "employee only" zones, or enter the employee break room. You are only given as much access to the store as you need to get your food and leave. This is how the principle of least privilege works. An accountant for your organization is allowed to access the network, but they don't need access to customer information, IT infrastructure, or the development environment. Implementing PoLP ensures that in the event that an attacker is able to breach an organization, they aren't able to access critical systems or other resources needed to elevate their access.
Benefits of Least Privilege
What are the benefits to implementing the principle of least privilege within your organization? While not necessarily easy, the PoLP is technology agnostic meaning that no matter what hardware or software you use it can be implemented effectively. Because the PoLP is based on access control and not proprietary applications or code, it can be used in any organization and is incredibly scalable.
The principle of least privilege also increases an organizations security posture significantly. As a core tenant of "zero trust architecture" the PoLP focuses on securing individual network resources rather than putting everything behind the same firewall or perimeter. This means that if one host is vulnerable, or one application is exploited, then the attackers don't have access to the entire network.
Privilege Escalation and Privilege Creep
What happens when the PoLP isn't implemented correctly? Privilege creep is when a user or application accumulates additional rights and privileges that they don't require to do their job. This could be the result of a misconfiguration or change in the organization that requires users to be given access to different parts of the network. If an employee changes departments or is given temporary access to upper level rights, this could lead to privilege creep if not addressed correctly.
Privilege escalation is a form of a cyber attack where a hacker is able to take standard level or mid level access and "escalate" it to gain access to more critical information and assets. For example, a standard user could be misconfigured to have administrator rights. If an attacker were to compromise this users account or device, they could have access to elevated privileges that allow them to wreak havoc on your organization.
How to Implement Least Privilege
The principle of least privilege is a simple concept to understand, but still requires a fair amount of work to implement correctly. Here are a few things to consider if your organization is thinking about implementing the PoLP:
- Auditing: Conducting an audit within your organization to determine what assets you have and who needs access is important to setting up a least privilege policy.
- Limit Privileged Accounts: Only a select few users in your organization need administrator access to your accounts and data. Limiting the amount of users and applications that have elevated privileges drastically reduces your attack surface.
- Consistent Logging: Make sure you are consistently logging the access of resources and who is utilizing them. Review these logs regularly to catch any unusual activity or elevated privileges that aren't necessary.
If you want to implement the Principle of Least Privilege within your organization and aren't sure where to start, contact CorpInfoTech today. We are adept at developing and maintaining zero trust network architecture that implement PoLP controls and policies to keep you secure!
CorpInfoTech (Corporate Information Technologies) provides small to mid-market organizations with expert I.T. services including compliance assessment, cybersecurity penetration tests, and comprehensive business continuity planning services. CorpInfoTech can help organizations, quantify, create, refine, and mitigate the risks presented by business threatening disasters in whatever form they may be disguised.
