Overview#
Granting only the minimum access necessary to perform a function. Enforced via scoped roles, time-bound access, and just-in-time elevation.
Core objectives#
- Establish shared definitions of Least Privilege for security, engineering, and leadership teams.
- Connect Least Privilege activities to measurable risk reduction and resilience goals.
- Provide onboarding notes so new team members can quickly understand how Least Privilege works here.
Implementation notes#
- Identify the primary owner for Least Privilege, the data sources involved, and the systems affected.
- Document the minimum viable process, tooling, and runbooks that keep Least Privilege healthy.
- Map Least Privilege practices to standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, NIST CSF, or CIS Controls.
Operational signals#
- Leading indicators: early warnings that Least Privilege might degrade (e.g., backlog growth, noisy alerts, or missed SLAs).
- Lagging indicators: realized impact that shows Least Privilege failed or needs investment (e.g., incidents, audit findings).
- Feedback loops: retrospectives and metrics reviews that tune Least Privilege continuously.
Related practices#
- Align Least Privilege with defense-in-depth planning, threat modeling, and disaster recovery tests.
- Communicate updates to stakeholders through concise briefs, dashboards, and internal FAQs.
- Pair Least Privilege improvements with tabletop exercises to validate expectations.