A recent cybersecurity survey of 28 companies who had experienced security breaches revealed that 39% of them were caused by authorized personnel exploiting and misusing their privileged access rights, according to Forrester. With the growing need to meet the security demands of their applications, infrastructure and customers, organizations need to employ technologies that meet these needs.
One of the core elements of ensuring APM security is ensuring strict access control.
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Implementing the best access control practices is critical.
This comprises of activities such as:
- Which activities you need to pay attention to
- The best vendors to buy from
- The means of paying the vendors
- The manner in which to implement Access control within the organization
- Ways in which to maintain Access control system as the organization grows
Here are some of the best access control practices for APM security:
Establish Security Layers
When planning for access control management, its essential to put into consideration all the technological options that are available, because some technologies may offer more protection than others. You need to implement these technologies in such a way that those areas that are more confidential have less and strict access, and the areas with reduced risks are more open to a wider audience.
Access management is known to be at the forefront in most security solutions. However, for its success, it needs to be layered with other tools such as video surveillance, door locks, sensors and wireless technology to ensure each of them achieve their maximum potential. Every organization should integrate access management to improve their security posture and mitigate insider threats.
Secure All Access Control Data
Currently, networked security technologies effectively solve many enterprise problems but at the same time, are more vulnerable to attacks by hackers due to the many access points. With this in mind, it’s essential for an organization to implement an effective security programme which could include two-factor authentication, biometric access technology, passwords or PIN.
The information stored in the access control should also be secured appropriately from both a logical and physical access viewpoint. Organizations should monitor the access patterns to watch out for suspicious activity from an internal employee or a third party. It’s wise for any enterprise to use proactive measures to manage access control.
Apply The Doctrine Of Least Access
If you don’t want to have issues with compliance auditors, it’s crucial for you to stick to this principle. It generally means that access should be granted only to those that need it. So unless you work with it, you should not have access to it. Access should not be granted out of convenience, but instead, you should give people only the minimum number of rights needed to do their jobs.
Additionally, monitor your IT personnel, especially those that handle access control and limit their access as they are at the best position to abuse the privilege awarded to them. In case of such a scenario where an IT personnel decides to be a malicious insider, it could lead to untold damage to your organization. This is because they can access corporate information or confidential customer data.
Create Role-Based Access
Every organization has several departments, with each having their duties and responsibilities segregated. Not everyone needs access to everything, and there should be a well-defined way of identifying employees according to their particular responsibilities.
Most firms have a well laid out scheme of awarding employees access. An example of a role-based access system is where a developer has access to the developer environment and where an accountant can unlock the company safe. After assigning roles, it’s wise to monitor them to ensure that they are in line with regulatory compliance.
Conclusion
Access control is vital in improving the security of your organization but only when its implemented correctly. Incorporating these practices will ensure that only individuals with the right access can access critical applications and databases.
