What principle suggests that users should have the minimum levels of access necessary?

The principle that suggests users should have the minimum levels of access necessary is known as least privilege. This concept emphasizes that each user or system component should only have the permissions essential to perform its tasks. By limiting access rights to only what is necessary, the risk of accidental or intentional misuse of data and resources is significantly reduced.

Implementing least privilege helps to contain potential damage from compromised accounts and minimizes the attack surface that malicious actors might exploit. For example, if a user only has access to the files and systems required for their role, the impact of a security breach affecting that user’s account would be confined to those specific resources rather than allowing unrestricted access to the entire system.

While the need to know principle is related and deals with restricting information access based on necessity for official duties, it does not comprehensively address permission levels across different systems and resources as least privilege does. Defense in depth focuses on layered security measures, and segmentation pertains to dividing networks or systems into distinct segments to enhance security. While all these concepts are vital in security practices, least privilege is specifically tailored for managing user access rights.