User permissions and two factor authentication are the most important element of a secure security infrastructure. The ability to manage user permissions is a crucial tool for reducing the risk of accidental or malicious insider activity, minimizing the consequences of any data breaches while ensuring the regulatory compliance.
1. Reduce the risk of insider threats
The principle of least privilege is a typical method of limiting access to users. It states that users should only be given the privileges required to fulfill their job. This reduces the potential impact of unauthorized activities that may be caused by employees or third-party vendors.
2. Reduce the risk of a Data Breach
Many industries are subject to strict regulations which require strong data protection methods. Managing user permissions allows organizations to ensure compliance by ensuring only authorized individuals can access sensitive information.
3. Reduce the risk of Third-Party Vendor Activity
Many data breaches occur as a result of compromised credentials owned by third-party vendors. Reviewing and updating regularly permissions for users can help reduce the risk of unauthorized access by vendors from outside.
4. Provide Flexibility for Privilege Escalation
Role-based access control (RBAC) is a well-known approach to managing user permissions that grants access rights depending on predefined roles. These roles can be integrated to permit fine-grained control of access. For instance an experienced physician could have more access rights than a junior doctor when it comes to viewing the patient’s data. In addition, RBAC can be configured to require two-factor authentication (2FA) for certain roles to mitigate the possibility of unauthorized access, even in the event that the password has been compromised.