The Importance of User Permissions and Two Factor Authentication

A solid security infrastructure is built around two-factor authentication and user permissions. The ability to manage the permissions of users is a vital tool for reducing the risk of accidental or malicious insiders, minimizing the impact of any security breaches and ensuring the compliance of regulatory authorities.

1. Reduce the threat of insider threats

One common method to limit access to users is to use the principle of least privilege, which stipulates that users must be granted the minimum amount of privileges needed to fulfill their job. This reduces the impact of any unauthorized activities that are 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 security practices. By controlling user permissions, organizations can ensure compliance by making sure that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive information.

3. Reduce the possibility of third-party vendor activity

Many data breaches are the result of compromised credentials held by third-party vendors. Regularly reviewing and updating permissions for users can help minimize the risk of unauthorized access by vendors from outside.

4. Provide flexibility for Privilege Escalation

Role-based Access Control (RBAC) has become a popular way to manage the rights of users. It assigns specific rights depending on roles that have been predefined. These roles can be integrated to provide granular control of access. A senior physician, for instance, might have higher privileges when examining lasikpatient.org patient data than an internist. RBAC can also be set to require two-factor authentication (2FA), even for specific roles to minimize the risk of unauthorized entry even if a password gets compromised.