Glossary

What is the Least Privilege Principle?

The Least Privilege Principle is a fundamental concept in the realm of cybersecurity, information security, and IT management. It denotes a minimalistic approach towards access rights and permissions, ensuring that users, systems, and programs have only the essential privileges necessary to perform their tasks or functions, and nothing more. This principle is rooted in the idea of minimizing potential attack surfaces and reducing the risk of unauthorized access or the execution of malicious activities.

Implementing the Least Privilege Principle involves a careful assessment and continuous monitoring of the roles and responsibilities within an organization to ensure that access rights are appropriately aligned. This requires a detailed understanding of the tasks each user, system, or application performs and tailoring their access rights precisely to those needs. It often involves setting up multiple levels of access, where higher levels of privilege are granted only to those who absolutely require them for specific tasks.

The application of this principle extends beyond just human users to include applications, processes, and devices. For instance, a service running on a server should have only the permissions necessary to perform its specific task and nothing beyond that. This approach significantly mitigates risks associated with excessive permissions, such as data breaches or system compromises, by limiting the potential damage that can be caused by compromised accounts or malicious insiders.

Moreover, adherence to the Least Privilege Principle facilitates compliance with regulatory standards and data protection laws. Many regulations mandate strict control over access to sensitive information and systems, making the principle an integral part of compliance efforts. Organizations that implement this principle can demonstrate to regulators and stakeholders their commitment to securing data and protecting privacy.

However, implementing the Least Privilege Principle is not without its challenges. It requires a comprehensive inventory and classification of all assets and their associated access needs, which can be a complex and time-consuming process. Additionally, it necessitates a dynamic approach to access management, as roles and responsibilities may evolve over time. Organizations must establish processes for regularly reviewing and adjusting access rights to ensure they remain aligned with current needs.

In summary, the Least Privilege Principle is a critical security measure that plays a pivotal role in protecting an organization’s data and resources. By ensuring that access rights are strictly tailored to the necessary requirements of each user, system, or application, organizations can significantly reduce their vulnerability to attacks and breaches. While its implementation may pose certain challenges, the benefits in terms of enhanced security posture and compliance make it an indispensable practice in today’s digital landscape.

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Attack Surface

An attack surface in permissions management refers to the sum total of all potential vulnerabilities that an unauthorized entity could exploit to gain access to a system or data.

Attribute-based Access Control (ABAC)

Attribute-based Access Control (ABAC) is a sophisticated and dynamic access control model that grants or denies user access to resources based on the evaluation of attributes. These attributes can pertain to the user, the resource, the environment, or even the action being requested. Attributes are essentially characteristics that define entiti...

Azure AD

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is a cloud-based service that offers identity and access management capabilities. With Azure AD, your employees can securely access various external resources, including Microsoft 365, the Azure portal, and numerous other Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications. Additionally, Azure Active Directory facilitat...

Access Management

Access management, also known as access control or identity and access management (IAM), refers to the processes, policies, and technologies implemented by organizations to control and regulate who can access their digital resources, systems, applications, and data.

Advanced Threat Protection

Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) refers to a set of security solutions and strategies designed to defend against sophisticated and evolving cyber threats that are capable of bypassing traditional security measures.

Authentication versus Authorization

Access Management Workflows

Anomaly Detection

Access Control

AWS IAM Roles vs Policies

Active Directory

Authentication

Blast Radius

Brute force Attack

Break-glass Scenarios

Birthright Access

Bastion Host

California Consumer Privacy Act

Centralized Authentication

Centralized Authentication refers to the system where user authentication is managed through a single, unified platform. Instead of maintaining separate login credentials for different systems, a centralized server (or authentication mechanism) controls access to all integrated applications or systems.

Cloud Access Policies

Context-Based Access Control

Context-based access control provides access decision and enforcement that is based on a dynamic risk assessment or confidence level of a transaction. Context-based access uses behavioral and contextual data analytics to calculate risk.

Connecting IdPs with Databases

Managing identities and permissions for your databases is made easier with native, custom identity provider connections because they leverage your existing identity provider to simplify authentication and managing permissions.

Connect Azure AD with Elasticsearch

Integrating Azure AD with Elasticsearch allows you to provide access in Elasticsearch’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Azure AD.

Connect Azure AD with MariaDB

Integrating Azure AD with MariaDB allows you to provide access in MariaDB databases and schemas according to users and groups from Azure AD.

Connect Azure AD with Mongo Atlas

Connect Azure AD with MongoDB

Having Azure AD connected with MariaDB allows you to provide access in MongoDB databases and schemas according to users and groups from Azure AD.

Connect Azure AD with MySQL

Connecting Azure AD with MySQL allows you to provision access in MySQL databases and schemas according to users and groups from Azure AD.

Connect Azure AD with PostgreSQL

Connecting Azure AD with PostgreSQL allows you to provide access in PostgreSQL databases and schemas according to users and groups from Azure AD.

Connect Google Workspace with Elasticsearch

Connecting Apono with Google Workspace enables organizations to manage permissions at a granular resource level, automating database access based on Google Workspace users and groups authentication. It facilitates the creation of on-call and break-glass automated access workflows by integrating with tools like PagerDuty, Opsgenie, or VictorOps,...

Connect Google Workspace with MariaDB

Connecting Apono with MariaDB allows organizations to streamline and automate their database access management. By integrating with MariaDB, Apono enables granular control of user permissions, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access specific databases or tables.

Connect Google Workspace with Mongo Atlas

Connecting Google Workspace with MongoDB Atlas allows organizations to streamline and enhance their database access management by leveraging Google Workspace’s user and group authentication.

Connect Google Workspace with MongoDB

Connecting Google Workspace with MongoDB allows organizations to streamline access management and improve security across their databases. By integrating MongoDB with Google Workspace, administrators can manage user authentication and permissions more efficiently, synchronizing MongoDB access controls with Google Workspace’s user and grou...

Connect Google Workspace with MySQL

Integrating Google Workspace with MySQL allows you the ability to provide access in MySQL’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Google Workspace.

Connect Google Workspace with PostgreSQL

Integrating Google Workspace with PostgreSQL allows you the ability to provide access in PostgreSQL’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Okta.

Connect Jumpcloud with Elasticsearch

Integrating Jumpcloud with Elasticsearch allows you the ability to provide access in Elasticsearch’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Jumpcloud.

Connect Jumpcloud with MariaDB

Integrating Jumpcloud with MariaDB allows you the ability to provide access in MariaDB’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Jumpcloud.

Connect Jumpcloud with Mongo Atlas

Integrating Jumpcloud with Mongo Atlas allows you the ability to provide access in Mongo Atlas’ databases and schemas according to users and groups from Jumpcloud.

Connect Jumpcloud with MongoDB

Integrating Jumpcloud with MongoDB allows you the ability to provide access in MongoDB’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Jumpcloud.

Connect Jumpcloud with MySQL

Integrating Jumpcloud with MySQL allows you the ability to provide access in MySQL’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Jumpcloud.

Connect Jumpcloud with PostgreSQL

Integrating Jumpcloud with PostgreSQL allows you the ability to provide access in PostgreSQL’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Jumpcloud.

Connect Okta with Elasticsearch

Integrating Okta with Elasticsearch allows you the ability to provide access in Elasticsearch’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Okta.

Connect Okta with MariaDB

Integrating Okta with MariaDB allows you the ability to provide access in MariaDB’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Okta.

Connect Okta with MongoDB

Integrating Okta with MongoDB allows you the ability to provide access in MongoDB’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Okta.

Connect Okta with MySQL

Integrating Okta with MySQL allows you the ability to provide access in MySQL’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Okta.

Connect Okta with PostgreSQL

Integrating Okta withPostgreSQL allows you the ability to provide access in PostgreSQL’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Okta.

Connect Okta with Mongo Atlas

Integrating Okta with Mongo Atlas allows you the ability to provide access in Mongo Atlas’ databases and schemas according to users and groups from Okta.

Connect Onelogin with MySQL

Integrating Onelogin with MySQL allows you the ability to provide access in MySQL’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Onelogin.

Connect Onelogin with PostgreSQL

Integrating Onelogin with PostgreSQL allows you to provide access in PostgreSQL’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Onelogin.

Connect Onelogin with Elasticsearch

Integrating Onelogin with Elasticsearch allows you the ability to provide access in Elasticsearch’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Onelogin.

Connect Onelogin with MariaDB

Integrating Onelogin with MariaDB allows you the ability to provide access in MariaDB’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Onelogin.

Connect Onelogin with Mongo Atlas

Integrating Onelogin with Mongo Atlas allows you the ability to provide access in Mongo Atlas’s databases and schemas according to users and groups from Onelogin.

Connect Onelogin with MongoDB

Integrating Onelogin with MongoDB allows you the ability to provide access in MongoDB databases and schemas according to users and groups from Onelogin.

Cloud-native Application Protection Platform

A Cloud-native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) is a specialized cybersecurity solution designed to secure and protect applications that are developed and deployed in cloud-native environments.

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)

Cloud Workload Protection (CWP)

Cloud Security

Cloud PAM

Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)

A Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) is a security solution or service that acts as an intermediary between an organization’s on-premises infrastructure and cloud services, helping to secure and manage data and applications that are hosted in the cloud.

CI/CD Pipeline

CI/CD stands for Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (or Continuous Deployment), and it represents a set of practices and tools used in software development to automate the process of building, testing, and deploying software changes to production environments.

Credential Stuffing

Continuous Adaptive Risk Trust Assessment (CARTA)

Credentials Rotation

Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM)

Cloud Access Management

Cloud Privileged Access Management

Credential Theft

Context-Based Access Management

Cloud Access Management

Cloud Governance

DevOps vs DevSecOps

Data Access Management

DevSecOps

Ephemeral Certificates/Ephemeral Access

Ephemeral certificates are short-lived access credentials that are valid for as long as they are required to authenticate and authorize privileged connections

Federated Access

Fedramp Compliance

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The General Data Protection Regulation is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy in the European Union and the European Economic Area. The GDPR is an important component of EU privacy law and of human rights law, in particular Article 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

Google Workspace

Google Workspace is a collection of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools, software and products developed and marketed by Google.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)

Group Based Access Control (GBAC)

Honeypot

HIPAA compliance

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Identity and access management (IAM) ensures that only relevant people with certain organizational roles can access tools that they require to complete their jobs. IAM allows organizations to control employee apps without logging into them as an administrator.

IGA (Identity Governance Administration)

Identity Governance

Identity Provider (IDP)

Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS)

Identity Governance Administration

IT Security Policy

Incident Response

Insider Threats

Identity Sprawl

Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)

Just-in-Time Access (JiT)

Just-in-Time Access (JIT) is a vital security protocol where permission to access applications or systems is only for a preset limited timeframe on an as-needed basis. This prevents the risks associated with standing privileges that hackers or fraudulent insiders can exploit.

Jumpcloud

JumpCloud is reimagining the on-prem directory as a cloud-based platform that secures identities, manages devices, and provides safe access to all types of IT resources — on-prem, in the cloud, across Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Lateral Movement

Lateral movement in cybersecurity refers to the technique used by attackers or malicious actors to move horizontally across a network once they have gained initial access to a single system.

Log Analysis Management

Least Privilege Principle

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) is an authorization method that requires a user to provide one or more verification details to gain access to a resource such as an online account, application, or VPN.

Man-in-the-Middle Attack

Multi-cloud Security

Observability

Observability is a management procedure that focuses on keeping the relevant, crucial, and vital issues at or near the top of an operations process flow. This post will discuss the details of the observability.

Okta

Okta is an enterprise-grade, identity management service, built for the cloud, but compatible with many on-premises applications. With Okta, IT can manage any employee’s access to any application or device.

Onelogin

OneLogin is a cloud-based identity and access management provider that develops a unified access management platform to enterprise-level businesses and organizations.

Open Authorization (OAuth)

On-call Access Management

Principle of Least Privilege

In information security, the principle of least privilege (PoLP), AKA the principle of minimal privilege (PoMP) or the principle of least authority (PoLA), requires that in users in the organization should only be granted resources according to the immediate requirement of the task at hand.

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Privileged Access Management (PAM) is an information security (infosec) process that uses special access or capabilities (beyond the scope of regular users) to protect identities. Like any infosec solution, PAM works across a combination of people, systems, and technology.

Privilege Elevation and Delegation Management (PEDM)

Privilege Elevation and Delegation Management (PEDM) is a subset of Privileged Access Management (PAM) that aims to deliver more granular access restrictions than Privileged Account and Session Management (PASM) tools ordinarily do.

Privileged Account and Session Management (PASM)

Privileged account and session management (PASM) gives users an “all-or-nothing” temporary administrative access to privileged business environments. An organization’s risk management and cybersecurity plan should include PASM solutions to manage, control, and monitor privileged accounts.

Permissions Management

Phishing

Privileged Session Management

Privileged session management, also known as privileged session recording or privileged access session management, is a cybersecurity practice that involves monitoring and recording the activities of users who have privileged access to critical systems, applications, and data within an organization’s IT environment.

Policy-Based Access Control

Policy-based access control (PBAC) is a security mechanism used in computer systems and networks to regulate and manage access to resources based on predefined policies or rules. It’s a way of ensuring that only authorized users or entities are allowed to access specific resources, while unauthorized access is prevented.

Policy-as-Code

Policy-as-code (PaC) is an approach in the field of DevOps and cloud computing that involves defining and enforcing policies through code. These policies are rules, guidelines, or best practices that organizations want to implement to ensure the security, compliance, and efficient operation of their systems, applications, and infrastructure.

Privileged Access Governance (PAG)

Privileged Access Governance (PAG) is a comprehensive framework and set of practices that organizations use to manage, control, and monitor access to privileged accounts and resources within their IT infrastructure.

Permission Control

Permission control is the process of defining and regulating the specific actions or operations that individuals or entities are allowed to perform within a system, application, network, or physical space. It is a fundamental aspect of access control, which is essential for maintaining security, privacy, and compliance in various environments, ...

PAM vs IAM

Privileged Access Management as a Service (PAMaaS)

Password Vaulting

Privileged Identity Management (PIM)

Privilege Creep

Password Spraying

PCI Compliance

Role-based Access Control (RBAC)

One of the primary methods of advanced access control is Role-based access control (RBAC) – a system that restricts network access solely based on a person’s role within the organization. The roles refer to individual access to a network.

Resource-based Policies

Resource-based policies are a type of authorization mechanism used in computer security to define and manage access control for specific resources, such as files, databases, APIs, and cloud services.

Relationship-Based Access Control (ReBAC)

Service Organization Control 2 (SOC2)

Information security threats remain a significant concern for all organizations, including those which outsource essential business operations to third-party service providers such as SaaS or cloud-computing vendors. But why is that? Well, it’s due to mishandling sensitive data, which ultimately makes enterprises vulnerable to cybercrimes...

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Single Sign-On (SSO) is an authentication method that enables a user to log in with a single identity to any of several related, yet independent, applications and databases. Or in other words: log in once and access services without answering authentication challenges.

Service Accounts

Operating systems frequently utilize service accounts to execute applications or run programs. They are used either in the context of system accounts or a specialized user account, which is created manually or during software installation. Furthermore, they may also run programs and are frequently referred to as init or inetd on Unix and Linux....

Standing Privileges

Secrets Management

Secrets management refers to the practice of securely storing, managing, and controlling access to sensitive information, often referred to as “secrets,” within an organization’s IT infrastructure.

Shadow Access

System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM)

Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Spear Phishing

SAML

Task-Based Access Control (TBAC)

Task-based access control (TBAC) is a flexible security system deployed in workflow management processes on a large scale. In TBAC, permissions are granted to tasks, and users can only access the permissions during the task’s execution.

Trunk-based Development

User Provisioning

User provisioning, also known as identity provisioning or account provisioning, is the process of creating, managing, and maintaining user accounts and their associated access rights within an organization’s information technology (IT) systems and digital resources.

Vendor Privileged Access Management (VPAM)

Vendor Privileged Access Management (VPAM) is a specialized tool designed to ensure least privilege access for vendor employees, while simultaneously monitoring their activities.

Vulnerability Management

Vulnerability management in cybersecurity is a comprehensive process aimed at identifying, assessing, prioritizing, mitigating, and monitoring vulnerabilities in computer systems, networks, applications, and other IT infrastructure components.

Zero Trust Network Access

Zero Trust is a tactical approach to securing an organization from cybersecurity threats through elimination of implicit trust and continuous validation at each stage of digital interaction.

Zombie Accounts

Zombie accounts, also known as dormant accounts or orphaned accounts, refer to user accounts that are still present in a system or application but are no longer actively used or managed.