What is the principle of least privilege?

The principle of least privilege suggests that your IT users and applications should have the minimum access necessary to complete specific tasks; nothing more, and nothing less. When implemented as part of your wider information security strategy, the least privilege principle performs a valuable damage containment and risk mitigation role. Not least, if a hacker gets hold of user credentials, the narrower the permissions linked to that account, the lower the scope for potential harm. 

Discover more about what the principle of least privilege means in practice, its relationship to the wider zero trust framework, and how TeamViewer can help you apply it successfully across all arms of your business, granting your people remote access to the resources they need, without putting sensitive information at unnecessary risk.

In this article

• What does least privilege mean in practice?
• Principle of least privilege vs. zero trust
• What are the benefits of least privilege?
• Are there any disadvantages to least privilege?
• How TeamViewer can enforce the principle of least privilege
• Examples of the principle of least privilege with TeamViewer

What does the least privilege mean in practice?

To unpack what it means in real life, these are the ways in which you can put the principle of least privilege into practice across your business:

Implement role-based access controls

Grant access to resources based on what is specifically needed for an individual’s role, rather than, their job title or level or seniority. For example, a junior developer only needs access to those datasets directly relating to the project they are working on. A senior member of your finance team might expect access to all areas. But in order to do their job, do they need access to product development files containing sensitive IP? In all likelihood, not.

Define your controls at a granular level

Instead of a binary approach (i.e. giving users and applications either zero access to a resource, or else a free hand with it), try to apply control access based on detailed permissions, such as read-only, edit, copy, delete, and app execution. Again, the level of permissions granted should be limited to what is required for specific tasks. For example, an enterprise resource planning app should have read-only access to a HR data table, but no permission to write or delete data contained in it.

Make access contextual and conditional

The access levels users need will change depending on the tasks they are involved in. To reflect this, you should consider applying access rules based on factors such as time, and security posture. For example, one of your support engineers must fix an issue linked to a point-of-sale terminal at one of your branches. Using TeamViewer, they can access the unit’s operating system remotely. TeamViewer’s conditional access feature means they are granted just-in-time elevated privileges to do the job, and these are revoked automatically after task completion.

Principle of least privilege vs. zero trust

When you apply the least privilege principles across your IT environment, it can and should form part of a wider zero-trust approach. Here’s what we mean by this:

Especially if you have a scattered workforce and rely on cloud-based software, you can never be absolutely sure that the users and applications trying to access your resources are who they claim to be. The zero-trust approach to security reflects this reality and ensures that only those users who should gain access can gain access.

Zero trust operates on the “never trust, always verify” principle, meaning that nothing or no one in your environment should be automatically trusted without additional checks. This applies to everything, whether someone with a seemingly valid log-in is trying to gain access to a file or an app on the network carrying out a specific activity, such as connecting with a network device.

Applying least privilege controls can be part of a wider range of zero-trust access strategies. Other measures that sit side-by-side with least privilege often include the following:

• Identity and access management (IAM): Through multi-factor authentication (MFA), users only get access to certain apps and resources through verification using more than one form of verification, such as a code and biometric check.
• Device authentication: Ensures that only recognized and compliant user devices access your network.
• Continuous monitoring: With the help of TeamViewer Remote Monitoring and Management, you can track and ensure logs are generated for all access attempts, helping you to flag up and investigate suspicious behavior or events.

So let’s say you’re adding a new user to your system. Working on the zero trust assumption, you classify that user’s account as ‘least privileged’. You only add privileges if and when it shows that they need them. Access is only granted in line with your IAM and device authentication controls.

What are the benefits of least privilege?

Reducing the impact of data breaches

Using techniques such as spear phishing and business email compromise, hackers deliberately target senior business insiders. Why? Because it’s assumed that these users will automatically access all your most valuable data. Get through, and it’s like hitting the data jackpot.

Applying the principle of least privilege helps you break that assumption and better protect your business. If an account or system is compromised, the possible attack surface is confined to the restricted permissions of that account. The damage is much more limited in scope and easier for you to deal with.

Staying on top of compliance

Most security and data protection regulations (GDPR, for instance) stress the principle of minimization; in other words only doing what is necessary with data to achieve your objectives. This includes not making it accessible to business insiders who do not need it.

Applying the principle of least privilege helps you stay compliant with this obligation. More widely, pretty much all regulations require you to have reasonable and appropriate measures in place not just to reduce the likelihood of a breach but also to mitigate its likely impact. If you can point to the granular access and conditional controls you have in place, it can help you demonstrate to regulators that you take these obligations seriously.

Boosting productivity and reducing costs

The principle of least privilege reflects the fact that employees only need access to certain resources to get the job done. They do not need access to everything, and with an estimated 80% of workers reporting information overload, generally, they do not want access to everything.

An ‘access all areas’ approach can be a barrier to productivity. A laptop menu full of work apps you never use can make it harder to find the resources you need. The same applies if you can access a whole database when everything you need is in one or two tables.

A review of privileges gives IT professionals a good opportunity to take a wider look at IT inventory across the business. Who needs what - and why? Do we really need so many top-tier administrator licenses in play? If you find areas to rationalize, you might also highlight some opportunities to save costs.

Are there any disadvantages to least privilege?

Ensuring seamless access to resources

Least privilege works on giving users what they need; nothing more, nothing less. However, operational needs can change quickly. For example, an employee in your production design team is working on a bespoke project for a client. They want to install an add-on for their design suite so they can collaborate with the client. However, they do not have the permission level necessary for this, and have to wait for a response from IT before the issue is resolved.

If you can respond rapidly and effectively to user requests, it prevents the principle of least privilege from becoming a barrier to the smooth running of your business. TeamViewer asset management and remote access capabilities mean that when a request for amended privileges is received from anywhere across the business, IT team members can review and (if appropriate) action it immediately.

Training

Of course, least privilege is not, in itself, a comprehensive solution to information security risks. It is one of several measures you should seek to implement across the business. Even when a user has restricted access, a breach of their account can still expose at least some data, or expose your environment to malware.

Many security incidents are linked with user error—for example, being tricked by social engineering campaigns, or accidental sharing of information. Alongside your least privilege and access controls, it’s as important as ever to focus on user training, empowering employees to follow the security policies you have in place, and how to spot and avoid threats. Giving you the ability to create your own guided workflows, TeamViewer lets you implement exactly the type of hyper-relevant and engaging security training resources that users can engage with and easily absorb.

How TeamViewer can enforce the principle of least privilege

The world’s most trusted remote connectivity platform enables you to ensure that least privilege controls are applied to all remote access sessions.

The same platform also includes asset management, remote monitoring and management (RMM) capabilities, allowing you to apply precisely the permissions you need across every part of the business.

Controlling every connection with TeamViewer Tensor 

TeamViewer’s Tensor equips administrators to control all incoming and outgoing remote connections, including full, granular permissions control.

• Define and enforce device access rights for all your remote access sessions
• Where required, prevent unauthorized use of sensitive features, such as file transfer and scripts
• Give temporary remote access with restricted functionality to specific devices, complete with automatically expiring permissions
• Select different options for different categories of user for easier-to-manage permission handling

TeamViewer Asset Management: Define, enforce and amend permissions across your business

Through TeamViewer’s Asset Manager and remote monitoring and management capabilities, you can successfully apply precisely the right privileges in the right areas; meeting operational needs, while keeping your business secure.

• Use asset discovery to determine what needs to be secured, what your risks are, and who needs access to which assets
• Assign permissions based on user roles and responsibilities at a granular level
• Set different rules for different categories of users
• Continuously monitor user activity and system status to adjust privileges as needed
• Rapidly isolate compromised accounts. Use TeamViewer remote access and remote control to instantly view impacted systems, diagnose, isolate and apply mitigation methods