What Are the Different Categories of Access Control?

What is privileged access management?

Privileged Access Management (PAM) is a type of access control model that focuses on protecting privileged accounts from potentially malicious actors. These accounts are either administrator accounts or application accounts. It uses automated procedures to manage them.

This helps in reducing the chances of exploitation due to human errors or malicious activities. It incorporates various tools like authentication mechanisms, access control, session management, and real-time monitoring. It adds an additional layer of protection to help protect an organisation’s assets, networks, and systems. 

What is role-based access control?

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a type of access control that restricts access based on the roles of the users in the organisation. It is a popular choice as it helps organisations manage user permissions at scale. It also increases efficiency by ensuring the right users have access to the right resources.

This type of access control consists of three elements: roles, resources, and permission. It requires each user to be assigned a role, each resource should belong to a category, and then permission needs to be assigned to each user to regulate access to those resources.

What is mandatory access control?

Mandatory Access Control (MAC) is another type of access control that requires access to be granted according to predetermined rules. It is unlike RBAC, which assigns permission based on roles, but instead has access controls attached to the resources themselves.

This type of access control is very strict and only allows access if the user has the appropriate clearance level. MAC is used in government organisations that handle sensitive data. It offers more control over the users and provides protection from potential cyber threats. 

What is discretionary access control?

Discretionary Access Control (DAC) is a type of access control that relies on access rights defined by the owner of the system or resource. It is suitable for small and medium organisations as it does not require complex configurations. It contains access control lists, which are created and managed by the owner of the resources. This allows users with access rights to modify their own permissions or the permissions of other users. However, this flexibility also comes with some risks. 

How to choose the right access control to implement in your organisation?

Choosing the right access control to implement in your organisation can be a daunting task. You need to consider factors such as the size of the organisation, the type of resources to be protected, the number of users, and the security goals. A risk assessment can help you identify the right access control model. Depending on your risk profile, you can decide whether PAM, RBAC, MAC, or DAC is the most suitable option. Additionally, you could also consider a mix of models to provide the best protection. 

In conclusion, access control models are essential to ensure the security of the system in an organisation. Each of the five types of access controls discussed in this article has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. As an organisation, you need to evaluate your requirements before deciding which model(s) to implement.