Table of Contents
Authorization
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Authorization is the process of determining whether a user, device, or system has the necessary permissions to access a particular resource or perform a specific action. It follows successful authentication, which verifies the identity of the entity requesting access.
Methods of Authorization
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): In RBAC, access permissions are assigned based on roles rather than individual users. Each role has specific permissions, and users are assigned to roles based on their job functions. This method simplifies the management of permissions and ensures consistency.
- Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC): ABAC uses attributes (such as user characteristics, resource attributes, and environmental conditions) to determine access permissions. Policies define how these attributes interact to grant or deny access. ABAC offers fine-grained control and flexibility.
- Mandatory Access Control (MAC): MAC is a strict access control model where access decisions are made based on predefined policies set by an administrator. Users cannot change permissions or access levels, which enhances security but may limit flexibility.
- Discretionary Access Control (DAC): In DAC, resource owners have control over who can access their resources. They can grant or revoke permissions at their discretion, providing more flexibility but potentially introducing security risks if not managed properly.
Applications and Use Cases
- Access Management: Authorization is crucial in managing who can access specific resources, such as files, databases, or systems. It helps enforce security policies and ensures that users can only access resources they are permitted to.
- Enterprise Systems: In corporate environments, authorization helps manage access to sensitive information and applications. For example, employees may have different access levels to financial systems, HR data, and internal communication tools based on their roles and responsibilities.
Challenges and Considerations
- Policy Management: Defining and managing access policies can be complex, especially in large organizations with diverse roles and responsibilities. Ensuring policies are up-to-date and reflect current security requirements is essential.
- Scalability: As organizations grow, managing and scaling authorization systems can become challenging. Implementing scalable solutions that can handle increasing numbers of users and resources while maintaining security is crucial.
References and Further Reading
- Snippet from Wikipedia: Authorization
Authorization or authorisation (see spelling differences) is the function of specifying rights/privileges for accessing resources, which is related to general information security and computer security, and to IAM (Identity and Access Management) in particular. More formally, "to authorize" is to define an access policy during the configuration of systems and user accounts. For example, user accounts for human resources staff are typically configured with authorization for accessing employee records, and this policy gets formalized as access control rules in a computer system. Authorization must not be confused with access control. During usage, access control enforces the authorization policy by deciding whether access requests to resources from (authenticated) consumers shall be approved (granted) or disapproved (rejected). Resources include individual files or an item's data, computer programs, computer devices and functionality provided by computer applications. Examples of consumers are computer users, computer software and other hardware on the computer.
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Passwords: Password Policies, Password Complexity Requirements, Password Expiration Policies, Password Rotation, Password History, Password Length, Multi-Factor Authentication, Password Managers, Secure Password Storage, Password Hashing Algorithms, Salted Password Hashing, Password Encryption, Password Recovery Processes, Password Reset Procedures, Password Audits, Password Strength Meters, Password Generation Algorithms, Biometric Authentication as Password Replacement, Single Sign-On (SSO) Systems, Two-Factor Authentication Methods, Passwordless Authentication, Social Login Integration, Phishing Resistance Techniques, User Education on Password Security, Account Lockout Mechanisms, Brute Force Attack Prevention, Dictionary Attack Mitigation, Credential Stuffing Defense Strategies, Security Questions for Password Recovery, Email Verification for Password Reset, Mobile Authentication for Password Management, Password Sharing Practices, Compliance Standards for Password Management, Password Synchronization Techniques, Password Aging Policies, Role-Based Password Access Control, Password Change Notifications, Temporary Passwords Handling, Password Encryption at Rest and in Transit, Third-Party Password Manager Security, Password Policy Enforcement Tools, User Behavior Analytics for Password Security, Zero Trust Approach to Password Management, Password Security for Remote Workers, Password Security Auditing Tools, Password Vulnerability Scanning, Automated Password Reset Solutions, Secure Password Exchange Protocols, Password Entropy Measurement
Passwords GitHub, Password topics, Passwordless, Password manager - Password management (LastPass, 1Password), Authentication, Personal identification number (PIN), Single signon, MFA-2FA, Microsoft Hello, Apple Face ID, Facial recognition, Biometric authentication, Iris recognition, Mainframe passwords (IBM RACF, Retinal scan, Eye vein verification, Recognition, Fingerprint recognition, Password cracking, Password hashing, Popular passwords, Strong passwords, Rainbow table, Secrets - Secrets management (HashiCorp Vault, Azure Vault, AWS Vault, GCP Vault), Passkeys, Awesome passwords (navbar_passwords - See also: navbar_passkeys, navbar_iam, navbar_pentesting, navbar_encryption, navbar_mfa)
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