principleofleastprivilege
The principle of least privilege (PoLP) is a security guideline that recommends granting the minimum set of permissions necessary for a person, program, or process to perform its function. Under PoLP, privileges are restricted to what is needed for legitimate tasks, and no more. The principle applies across IT systems, including operating systems, databases, networks, applications, and cloud services. By reducing privileges, organizations limit the potential damage from accidents, misconfigurations, or malicious activity.
Implementation often involves role-based or attribute-based access controls, strict separation of duties, and the practice of
Benefits include a smaller attack surface, containment of breaches, improved accountability, and easier auditing. Challenges include
The principle is widely applied in operating systems, cloud platforms, databases, and software development to minimize