The Importance of User Permissions and Two Factor Authentication

User permissions and two factor authentication are a key element of a secure security infrastructure. The ability to manage user permissions is an essential tool for reducing the likelihood that malicious or accidental insider activity will occur, minimising the consequences of data breaches and ensuring regulatory compliance.

1. Reduce the risk of insider Threats

One common method to limit user access is to employ the principle of least privilege, which states that users should be granted the minimum amount of privileges needed to fulfill their job. This helps minimize the potential negative impact of unauthorised activities that could be caused by employees or third-party vendors.

2. Reduce the risk of a Data Breach

Many industries are subject to strict regulations that require strong data protection practices. By managing user permissions organizations can ensure compliance by ensuring that only authorized employees have access to sensitive data.

3. Reduce the risk of third-party vendor activity

Many data breaches happen as a result of compromised credentials held by third-party vendors. Reviewing and updating regularly user permissions can help reduce the risk of unauthorized access by vendors from outside.

4. Allow Flexibility in Privilege Scalation

Role-based access https://lasikpatient.org/2021/11/10/the-3-types-of-software-your-business-needs-in-2021/ control (RBAC) is a well-known method of managing permissions for users which assigns access rights in accordance with predefined roles. The roles can be nested to allow for fine-grained access control. For example the senior physician could be granted more authority than a junior doctor in regards to accessing 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 is compromised.