Role-based access control best practices: 11 top tips

Role-Based Access Control or RBAC is one of several access control models in use today that help businesses and institutions manage access to their digital resources more effectively. When an organization adopts the RBAC access model it is imperative they adhere to best practices regarding security and administration and that they are committed to continual improvement of their access protocols in order to stay ahead of emerging threats. 

The following list contains a fair sampling of RBAC best practices:

1. Identify your needs

Identify your organization’s specific needs and use these as a guide when designing your RBAC control system. This includes developing a thorough understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the members of your organization who will be given access.

2. Create an RBAC policy

Create an RBAC policy that elucidates the rules, scope and objectives of your access control system and make the policy available to all stakeholders.

3. Establish a clear hierarchy of roles

Establish a hierarchy of roles that reflects the structure of your organization. Everyone’s role and responsibilities should be clearly defined. You will lean heavily on this hierarchy when creating your RBAC system.

4. Apply the ‘least privilege principle’

Avoid granting users more access than their well-defined role calls for. Instead, assign only the minimum permissions each person needs to carry out their duties. This is known as the Least Privilege Principle.

5. Review role assignments regularly

Make sure you engage in regular reviews of everyone’s role assignments to make sure they reflect any organizational changes. If someone has left the organization make sure their permissions are promptly removed.

6. Eliminate any conflicting permissions

Eliminate conflicting permissions as they have the potential to be abused. Separation of Duty policies can prevent such conflicts of interest and minimize potential insider threats.

7. Leverage automation where possible

Use automation whenever possible to streamline the assigning and removal of permissions whenever users leave the company or assume new responsibilities.

8. Prioritize logging and monitoring

Make logging and monitoring a priority of your RBAC system in order to detect suspicious behaviour and identify possible security incidents.

9. Build up a security-conscious culture

Institute regular security training and cultivate a security-conscious culture among staff members. Make sure everyone is well informed when it comes to RBAC principles and emphasize the importance of adhering to the company’s access control policies.

10. Prepare incident response procedures

Develop and implement incident response procedures for dealing with unauthorized access events and include remediation protocols. There must be a way to revoke permissions quickly in the event of unauthorized activity.

11. Keep up-to-date records

Maintain up-to-date records regarding permissions, policies and roles and ensure that any changes to roles or permissions are properly documented.

Summary

In this article, we have explored 11 top tips for implementing RBAC best practices at your organization.

Make sure you keep an eye on our blog to stay informed regarding all the latest best practices, so you can integrate any new updates into your RBAC strategy.