The Importance of User Permissions and Two Factor Authentication

Permissions for users and two-factor authentication are a key element of a solid security infrastructure. The ability to manage user permissions is a crucial tool to reduce the risk of malicious or accidental insiders, minimizing the consequences of any data breaches, and maintaining the compliance of regulatory authorities.

1. Reduce the risk of insider threats

The principle of least privilege is a typical method to restrict access for users. This implies that users should only be given the privileges they need to perform their duties. This can reduce the impact of any illegal activity that may be performed by employees or third-party vendors.

2. Minimize the Risk of a Data Breach

Many industries are subject to strict regulations which require robust data protection practices. Management of user permissions enables organizations to ensure compliance by ensuring only authorized users have access to sensitive information.

3. Reduce the risk of third-party vendor activities

Many security breaches result from compromised credentials held by third-party vendors. Reviewing and updating regularly user permissions can help limit the risk of unauthorized access by vendors from outside.

4. Flexibility for Privilege Escalation

Role-based access control (RBAC) is a popular method for managing user permissions which assigns access rights according to predefined roles. These roles can be nested in order to allow fine-grained access control. A senior physician, for example, may have more privileges when it comes to viewing patient information than a junior physician. RBAC can also be configured to require two-factor authentication (2FA), even for certain roles, to limit the risk of unauthorized entry even if passwords are compromised.

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