09/02/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/02/2024 16:02
Security is the most prominent concern organizations have these days. Different employees manage different resources in an organization, but if they're assigned individual capabilities, it can create confusion and inefficiency.
That's where role-based access controls (RBAC) allow defining roles by name, granting permissions to users, and denying access. This makes it easier to audit who has access to what and protects sensitive data.
In this article, I'll discuss RBAC's key benefits, limitations, and best practices to follow.
Role-based access control is a model that assigns permissions based on user roles rather than individual users. It restricts access to resources like databases and networks and ensures that only users in specific roles have authority.
Here's how it works: Suppose managers and assistants in an organization need access to different resources.
RBAC can quickly adjust permissions as roles change. This way, only authorized users have access to the data, which reduces the chances of data breaches and increases data security.
An illustration of a role-based access control model (Image source)
These are the components you need to consider while setting up an RBAC model:
Any individual, from an HR specialist to a data analyst or entity in the organization, is defined as a user. You assign users one or more roles based on their job responsibilities.
Roles define the access levels users have within the network. The permissions assigned to each role define users' actions in a specific role. For example, the data analyst role specifies the resources they can access for data cleaning and preparation jobs.
Operations are the actions users can perform on resources within the network. They include:
For example, if there's a librarian role at your organization, then that person would grant users permission to check out books and return books.
Resources are the endpoints in every industry, such as documents, financial reports, and patient records. Each resource represents a specific part of the network users access and manage.
For example, if we consider a healthcare organization, then a nurse would be permitted to view and edit the patient's records in that hospital, while a receptionist would have access to appointment schedules.
Permissions connect resources with operations. For example, permission may specify that users with the Data Analyst role can view and analyze datasets. On the contrary, users with the Data Scientist role can clean and visualize the dataset.
This makes it clear that both roles are data-related, but users can only perform the tasks for which they've permission.
RBAC has been there for more than three decades. When it comes to managing access control, it provides endless benefits to businesses. So, let's look at some of its most prominent perks:
While RBAC has become a widely adopted standard for managing permissions within organizations, it does have a couple of drawbacks. But if you understand these limitations, you can identify potential security gaps and make better decisions about whether it's the best fit for your organization's needs.
So, let's explore some of these limitations in detail.
To maximize the effectiveness of RBAC and mitigate its limitations, implement best practices that align with your organization's one-of-a-kind requirements. By following our guidelines, you can strengthen security while ensuring that your RBAC implementation remains robust and adaptable.
Grant access only to users who need it to perform their jobs. When you give unrestricted permissions, users can perform actions outside their authority. Let's suppose they might steal your confidential information. But when you grant permissions only to suitable users, it'd be easier to hold them accountable for data theft or damage.
Passwords that were most likely stolen. (Image source)
In 2023, 46% of Americans' passwords were stolen- highlighting the need for stronger password security. This means if you use weak passwords within your organization, it can compromise the RBAC's effectiveness. That's why you must:
Most enterprises focus on RBAC network security and forget to secure the physical location. You must restrict physical access to authorized users to prevent any unauthorized tampering, theft, and misuse.
Here's how you can do this:
You must ensure users do not have overlapping permissions. Otherwise, it may compromise security and lead to arguments within the workforce.
For instance, granting permission to test the code to both developers and quality managers can lead to conflicts because both may provide different feedback and argue over things they don't like.
Building an RBAC strategy that suits your network needs is the foundation for effective access control. To do so, you must assess your current network condition and define your future setup.
This will help you build a strategy that addresses existing loopholes and achieves your security goals.
RBAC alone falls short as it assigns access based on user roles, which doesn't work well with IoT environments. This is where Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) provides more granular control. With this, you can assign roles and consider attributes such as identity, location, and access time. But when you combine the features of both models, you can have better security and adaptability.