Last year saw a record number of data breaches, with millions of individuals and businesses affected. Hackers continually evolve their attack methods, while organizations struggle to keep pace with their data security strategies. Companies must pay particular attention to understanding access control if they are to safeguard valuable data assets.
Fundamental to any successful cyber security strategy, access control determines who can access data and other digital resources and under what conditions. When implemented properly, it both reduces the likelihood of costly data breaches and helps the organization comply with strict data privacy standards.
Types of Access Control
Access control begins with authentication, the process of verifying the user’s identity. Once the system has verified the identity of the user or device, it then determines what resources they can access. To be most effective, access control supports the principle of least privilege, granting individuals access only to the data and resources required.
To do this, organizations can choose from several different types of access control models:
- Discretionary Access Control (DAC) – Under DAC, each resource or data item has an owner, and that owner has full control over who can access the resource and what they can do with it. For instance, when an individual creates and shares a document, they determine who can access the document and whether they can edit it or just view it.
- Mandatory Access Control (MAC) – Similar to a military security clearance, with MAC, a centralized administrator classifies data according to sensitivity. Then individual users and devices are assigned clearance levels and can only access data that falls within their clearance level.
- Role-based Access Control (RBAC) – This model ties permissions to the user’s role within the organization, rather than to the individual. For example, an HR manager will likely have more access to sensitive personnel files than an administrative assistant. As individuals change their role within the company, their access will change accordingly.
- Attribute-based Access Control (ABAC) – ABAC uses policies to determine access rights, and these policies can use a combination of various attributes to make those access decisions. Attributes can include items such as the user’s job title, the sensitivity level of the data, and the time or location of the access request.
The preferred type of access control will vary according to business needs. For example, government environments with a need for very strict security may gravitate toward MAC. On the other hand, the scalability of RBAC readily supports a growing business, and ABAC allows the organization to assign access at a very granular level.
Develop Comprehensive Access Control Policies
To strengthen data security, take the time to understand what data needs protecting and the level of security required. Then create clear, comprehensive access control policies that define who has access to what data and under what conditions.
For example, a policy may restrict access to certain types of financial data to accounting supervisors accessing the data from computers located in the accounting department.
Clearly document access policies and automate them to improve enforcement. For example, organizations using Microsoft 365 can define conditional access policies using Microsoft Intune or Microsoft Entra.
Strengthen Authentication
Strong authentication methods are critical to effective access control. Basic username/password authentication will not provide the protection necessary for sensitive data and systems. Instead, organizations should implement multi-factor authentication (MFA). This can include a combination of authentication methods such as biometrics or security tokens.
Conduct Regular Access Reviews and Ongoing Monitoring
Like most security measures, access control requires regular updating. Conduct periodic audits of user access rights to ensure they still make sense. This proves particularly important as users change roles or leave the company. Additionally, automated, real-time monitoring of access activities allows security teams to detect and respond to potential security incidents promptly.
Using a tool like Microsoft Entra, the organization can gain visibility into all access requests and all platforms. Security teams can manage permissions from a centralized admin center, thus ensuring consistent security policies. Entra also includes analytics to help identify and remediate issues with excessive or unused permissions.
Understanding Access Control and Improving Data Security with Expert Help
While access control plays a crucial role in protecting vital information and systems, it can prove tricky to administer effectively. Work with the seasoned data experts at Messaging Architects to implement access control systems tailored to your organization and business needs.
