How to Assign Privileges for Team Members in the Cloud

Have you thought about how your team members could unintentionally be part of a cloud security breach waiting to happen? You’ll find many reasons why you should restrict cloud access for your team members. First, you can reduce the risk to your business if a breach results from hacker access to employee credentials. Second, restricted access reduces risk if an employee acts carelessly on the job, and it simplifies employee use of the cloud interface. Finally, assigning access privileges can also reduce the risk of accidental actions for which an employee is not responsible.

Whether you’re using Amazon Web Services (AWS) or other cloud services, explore the following advice to help you limit security breaches while assigning privileges for team members in the cloud.

Regular Review and Risk Assessment

A regular risk analysis will help your team understand what controls are in place and, specifically, what needs to be modified. At the same time, review your policies and make sure you’re continuing to grant the privileges that make sense for the circumstances. You should not only include team members, but also programs and processes in your assessment.

In your review, make sure that you remove credentials for team members who have since left the business or changed roles out of your IT department.

Multifactor Authentication for all Users

Multifactor authentication is a security system that uses more than one point of identification for a user login. A popular example is a password combined with a code generated by a security token. In the event, a user’s account becomes compromised, multifactor authentication provides further security.

Protocols should also be in place to allow multifactor authentication for the root employee account. For example, if you’re using AWS and want to maintain the highest level of identity access management (IAM) security and compliance, you should refresh account access keys regularly.

Privilege Bracketing Policy

Sometimes, users need to complete a task with a level of privilege higher than their own. Ensure that controls are in place so that you grant greater privileges only for a specific time. This policy also prevents privilege creep. Privilege creep results from accumulating high access levels beyond what team members need to perform their jobs. This situation is often a result of pressure to meet certain objectives or in response to changing staff roles.

Log Monitoring

Implement a process for ongoing monitoring of security logs. A well-developed log can help identify events where a user has retained too great of an access privilege. Monitoring can also help reveal any users who haven’t been active or have accessed the cloud, which can allow you to revoke access privileges.

Promoting Strong Passwords

Regularly communicate to your team members why a strong password is so important. You should also have a policy for password expiration and the reuse of old passwords. Provide tips on how to create passwords that are both easy to remember and secure.

A well-developed IT policy can help you offer the minimal level of cloud access necessary for your team members. This policy can prevent common issues such as privilege creep and the worst-case scenario of a security breach, either from within your business or outside of it. Thorough processes, regular reviews, monitoring of activity and users, periodic risk assessments, and multifactor authentication can all help to mitigate a data breach and the money, time, and effort involved in addressing the damage.

Let us know what are your thoughts about this article and what you do to keep you vaulable data safe from hacking?