What is the rule of Least Privilege Access? 

Cyber Attacks against UK Businesses are constantly on the rise, more than 500,000 cyber attacks discovered daily, UK Businesses alone were the target of 7.78 million cyber attacks throughout 2023, and 81% of the businesses suffering because of these attacks are Small to Medium Sized Businesses. It is essential that businesses fortify their digital infrastructure from these growing threats to safeguard their sensitive information. A fundamental aspect of safeguarding your business from these growing Cyber Security Threats is the Principle of Least Privilege Access (often shortened to PoLP), adopting this methodology can significantly mitigate many of the most common cyber threats. 

What is the Principle of Least Privileged Access?

The Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP) mandates that employees are granted the minimum levels of data access (or security permissions) needed for them to accomplish their roles effectively. This minimisation of access rights thwarts potential misuse of data access or privileges, either maliciously or through human error. This fortification creates a robust line of defence against internal and external security threats. 

Example 1: If one of your employees downloads a file, they believe to be software, however, it contains malware designed to install when you provide administration authentication, your employees will not have the privileges to provide this authorisation. 

Example 2: Limiting employee access to data ensures that if a malicious threat actor gains access to one of your employee accounts or endpoints, they will only have access to the limited data that the employee can access, potentially preventing a significant data breach. 

The implementation of PoLP is not just a theoretical good practice but an actionable strategy that has proven to be instrumental in averting potentially significant cyber disasters. By enforcing stringent permission and data access controls, businesses can ensure that critical systems and data remain inaccessible to unauthorised personnel, and thus unauthorised third parties, thereby significantly reducing the potential attack surface. 

Over recent years there have been a significant number of high-profile data breaches which have been the direct result of the misuse or misappropriation of privileged access. For example, the 2021 attack on Colonial Pipeline was orchestrated by the hacker group known as DarkSide, who initially gained access to the company's network through a VPN account which did not have any form of Two-Factor/Multi-Factor Authentication enabled. This account had been set up to allow employees to access the network remotely and had a level of administration access but was vulnerable due to being left active even though it was not in use at the time of the attack. Once inside the network, the attackers stole 100 gigabytes of data within a two-hour window, then deployed ransomware that severely impacted numerous computer systems including billing and accounting, which ultimately led to the halt of pipeline operations throughout much of the Southeastern United States. Meaning that fuel availability was limited throughout a number of states. 

By adhering to the Principle of Least Privilege, businesses can prevent potential cyber incidents before they happen, ensuring that only the necessary personnel have the requisite access, thereby fostering a culture of security and trust. 

How to manage access levels?

Continuous monitoring and auditing of access rights are imperative to ensure that the principle of Least Privilege remains effective and relevant. However, it is understandable that employees may occasionally require access to data or privileges higher than their role will usually require. In these instances, there are many solutions and tools available to businesses to provide either one-time elevated privileges, remote administration authentication, or timed elevated data access.

How can TwentyFour help you with your user access policies?

As businesses adopt to the ever-increasing cyber threats they face, the adoption of the rule of Least Privilege is not a luxury, but a necessity. It’s an investment in a robust security posture that not only safeguards your business’ assets but also fosters a culture of vigilance and responsibility among its employees. The journey to a comprehensive cyber security solution is one of multiple tools, solutions and policies, and the rule of Least Privilege is a foundational step towards achieving a secure and resilient digital ecosystem.

Contact TwentyFour IT to find out more about how we can help your business adopt the Principle of Least Privileged Access or complete the form below to get your free Business Cyber Security Health Check.