Role Based Access | Endpoint Privilege Manager Nugget Series

Summary

This nugget explains the importance of role-based access in building and maintaining EPM policies. It contrasts individual policies, where each user gets unique permissions, with role-based access, which assigns permissions to roles. Role-based access is favored for its scalability, reducing administrative effort, and preventing privilege creep. The video discusses methods to identify roles, such as using group memberships or conditions, and emphasizes combining these methods to tailor policies effectively while managing risks and handling exceptions.

Takeaways

• 🔑 Role-based access is crucial for building and maintaining EPM policies.
• ⚖️ Two methodologies for building EPM policies: individual policies and role-based access.
• 👤 Individual policies assign unique sets of policies to each user.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Role-based access assigns policies to identified roles, allowing all users in that role to execute associated tasks.
• 📈 Role-based access is preferred for scalability and reduces administrative effort.
• 🗂️ Managing access on a file-by-file basis is unmanageable; role-based access simplifies this process.
• 🚪 Role-based access supports the joiners, movers, and leavers process, preventing privilege creep.
• 🔄 If no pre-existing roles exist, start with a binary option (admin rights vs. no admin rights) and tailor roles from there.
• 👥 Use pre-existing group memberships to identify and target roles.
• 🔧 If a specific role cannot be established from a single group, combine groups or use conditions to match policies.
• 🖥️ Conditions can target users based on network resources, connection type, or other characteristics.
• 🏡 Policies can be combined for different scenarios, such as remote work, while maintaining risk reduction.

Q & A

What are the two competing methodologies used to build EPM policies?

The two competing methodologies are individual policies and role-based access.

What is the main difference between individual policies and role-based access?

Individual policies assign a unique set of policies to each user, while role-based access assigns policies to identified roles that all users in that role can execute.

Why might individual policies seem like a better choice initially?

Individual policies might seem better initially because they more closely follow the principle of least privilege.

What makes role-based access a better choice for building and maintaining EPM policies?

Role-based access is better for scalability, reduces administrative effort, minimizes the number of policies, and supports the joiners, movers, and leavers process to avoid privilege creep.

What is an example given in the script to illustrate the unmanageability of individual policies?

Managing access to a file server on a file-by-file basis for each individual would quickly become unmanageable.

How does role-based access help manage administrative effort?

Role-based access reduces administrative effort by assigning access to roles rather than individuals, which simplifies management.

What is the first step suggested if there are no pre-existing roles in an organization?

Start with a binary option, such as users with admin rights and those without, and tailor the rights required for each role.

How can roles be identified if they cannot be established based on a single group?

Roles can be identified by using a collection to combine groups, such as dynamically creating the role of DevOps if the user is a member of both developers and operations groups.

What conditions can be used to target roles if group membership is not sufficient?

Conditions such as the availability of network resources or connection type can be used, allowing policies to be matched based on any characteristic that resolves to true or false.

How can multiple conditions be managed in policies according to the script?

Multiple conditions can be combined in groups within a single policy or across different policies, allowing for flexible discovery and exception handling.

Outlines

00:00

🔒 Role-Based Access in EPM Policy Management

This paragraph introduces the concept of role-based access as a crucial element in establishing and maintaining Enterprise Policy Management (EPM). It contrasts role-based access with individual policies, explaining that while individual policies adhere to the principle of least privilege, role-based access offers scalability. The paragraph uses the example of managing a file server to illustrate the impracticality of individual policies at scale and the benefits of assigning access to roles to reduce administrative effort and prevent privilege creep. It also addresses the scenario where no pre-existing roles exist and suggests starting with a binary option, then refining roles based on user commonalities.

Keywords

💡Role-based access

Role-based access is a method of managing permissions by assigning policies to specific roles rather than individuals. This approach simplifies the administration of access rights, as all users within a role inherit the same permissions. In the script, it is highlighted as a scalable solution for managing EPM policies, contrasting with individual policies which are less manageable.

💡EPM policies

EPM policies, or Enterprise Policy Management policies, refer to the rules and guidelines that govern access and usage of enterprise resources. The video discusses the importance of these policies in building and maintaining secure systems. EPM policies ensure that users have appropriate access levels to perform their tasks without unnecessary privileges.

💡Individual policies

Individual policies are access controls assigned to specific users based on their unique needs. While they follow the principle of least privilege by granting only necessary permissions, they become unmanageable at scale. The script explains that role-based access, as opposed to individual policies, allows for easier administration and reduces complexity.

💡Principle of least privilege

The principle of least privilege is a security concept where users are granted the minimum level of access required to perform their tasks. Although individual policies align closely with this principle, the script suggests that role-based access is more practical for scaling while still adhering to security best practices.

💡Administrative effort

Administrative effort refers to the work required to manage and maintain access controls within an organization. The video emphasizes that role-based access reduces administrative effort compared to managing individual policies for each user, making it a more efficient approach for larger systems.

💡Privilege creep

Privilege creep occurs when users accumulate access rights over time beyond what they need for their current role, often due to changing job responsibilities. The script mentions that role-based access helps avoid privilege creep by managing permissions based on roles, which can be adjusted as users change roles.

💡Group membership

Group membership is a method of assigning users to predefined groups based on their functions or roles within an organization. These groups are then used to allocate permissions. The video suggests using existing group memberships to define roles for role-based access, such as developers or operations groups.

💡Dynamic roles

Dynamic roles are roles that are created based on conditions or combinations of existing groups. For example, the script describes creating a 'DevOps' role for users who are members of both the developers and operations groups. This flexibility allows for more precise access control tailored to specific needs.

💡Conditions

Conditions refer to specific criteria that can be used to assign policies dynamically. For instance, policies can be applied based on whether a user is working remotely. The script discusses using conditions to enhance role-based access by adding additional layers of control based on contextual factors.

💡Risk reduction policies

Risk reduction policies are measures implemented to minimize potential security risks. In the video, these policies are mentioned in the context of assigning access controls based on conditions to ensure that security is maintained while allowing flexibility. They play a crucial role in balancing security with usability.

Highlights

Role-based access is an important element in building and maintaining EPM policies.

Two competing methodologies for building EPM policies: individual policies and role-based access.

Individual policies assign a unique set of policies to each user.

Role-based access assigns policies to identified roles, allowing all users in that role to execute the associated applications and tasks.

Individual policies may seem better as they follow the principle of least privilege.

Role-based access is preferred for scalability and reducing administrative effort.

Managing access on a file-by-file basis for each individual user is unmanageable.

Assigning access to a role reduces administrative effort, keeps policies to a minimum, and supports the joiners, movers, and leavers process.

Role-based access helps avoid privilege creep.

Start with binary roles (e.g., admin rights vs. non-admin rights) and tailor them to required rights.

Roles can be split into more specific ones based on commonalities among users.

Identify and target roles using pre-existing group memberships based on functions (e.g., developers, operations, security).

Combine groups to create dynamic roles (e.g., DevOps role from developers and operations groups).

If roles can't be established based on group membership, use conditions to match policies (e.g., targeting remote workers).

Conditions for policies can be matched using scripts to resolve true or false criteria.

Policies can combine conditions and groups to provide tailored access.

Example: Assign a developer policy based on group membership and additional remote worker rules based on conditions.

Role-based access supports flexible discovery and exception handling mechanisms.

Transcripts

in this nugget we are going to learn why

role based access is an important

element in building and maintaining EPM

policies the two competing methodologies

used to build EPM policy are individual

policies or role-based

access with individual policies each

user is assigned a unique set of

policies containing the applications and

tasks that they are permitted to execute

or El elate role-based access is where

policies are assigned to an identified

role and all users in that role are

permitted to execute or Elevate the

associated applications and tasks when

choosing between them individual

policies may seem like the better choice

as it more closely follows the principle

of least privilege what makes rule-based

access the better choice well it's the

thing that allows us to

scale imagine if you will something

simple like managing a file server if

you granted users access on a file by

file basis individual by individual it

would quickly become unmanageable in

contrast assigning access to a role

reduces the administrative effort keeps

policies to a minimum and supports the

joiners movers and levers process to

avoid privilege

creep what if there are no pre-existing

roles in the organization what if it's

always been that these are users with

admin rights and these are the ones that

don't well let's start with that binary

option as the role but tailored to the

rights required and protected from abuse

and

exploitation at a later point we can

then start to split out the use cases

into more specific roles based on the

commonalities of the users accessing

those permissions let's now look at the

methods you can use to identify and

Target roles the simplest method is to

utilize pre-existing group membership

that are assigned based on function for

example developers Operations Security

Etc if the specific spefic role cannot

be established based on one group then

consider using a collection to combine

groups for example dynamically create

the role of Dev Ops if the user is a

member of both the developers and

operations

groups if the user role cannot be

established based on group membership

then consider using conditions to match

policy for instance you could Target

remote workers based on availability of

network resources or the connection

type you could go way beyond that simple

l to match any condition or

characteristic that can resolve to true

or false by utilizing scripts matching

criteria for policies is cumulative

which allows you to combine conditions

in groups in a single policy or across

different policies in this example we

have a developer connecting in from home

we assign the tailored developer policy

based on group membership and in

addition any remote worker rules that we

may want to enforce while the user is

not in the office which we can establish

based on conditions all within the

confines of our risk reduction policies

while still providing flexible Discovery

and exception handling mechanism that

allows us to deal with the

unexpected thank you for watching you

should now have a better understanding

of role-based access and its benefits