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Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a framework of policies and technologies that ensures the right individuals have access to the right resources at the right times for the right reasons. It is important because it helps organizations protect sensitive information, comply with regulations, and manage user identities and access rights effectively, reducing the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.
To implement least privilege in a large organization, follow these steps:
1. **Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)**: Define roles with specific permissions based on job functions.
2. **Access Reviews**: Regularly review and audit user access rights to ensure they align with current job responsibilities.
3. **Just-in-Time Access**: Provide temporary access to sensitive resources only when needed.
4. **Segregation of Duties**: Separate critical tasks among different users to reduce risk.
5. **User Training**: Educate employees on the importance of least privilege and secure access practices.
6. **Automated Provisioning**: Use automated tools to manage and provision access rights based on predefined policies.
7. **Monitoring and Logging**: Continuously monitor access and log activities to detect and respond to unauthorized access attempts.
The core components of Identity and Access Management (IAM) are:
1. **Identity Management** – Managing user identities and their attributes.
2. **Access Management** – Controlling user access to resources based on policies.
3. **Authentication** – Verifying user identities through credentials.
4. **Authorization** – Granting permissions to users based on their roles.
5. **User Provisioning** – Creating, modifying, and deactivating user accounts.
6. **Audit and Compliance** – Monitoring and reporting on access and identity activities.
The principle of least privilege means giving users and systems only the access they need to perform their tasks, minimizing potential risks. Zero trust is a security model that assumes no user or device is trustworthy by default, requiring verification for every access request, regardless of whether it originates from inside or outside the network.
Service accounts are special accounts used by applications or services to authenticate and interact with other services or resources, rather than being tied to a specific user. You should use them when you need automated processes or applications to access resources securely without user intervention, such as in cloud services, APIs, or background jobs.
