up:: [[Security Principles]] # Authorization **Authorization** in cybersecurity refers to the process of granting or denying a user or system permission to access specific resources, perform certain actions, or view sensitive data after they have been authenticated. It determines what an authenticated user is allowed to do within a system, ensuring that access is limited to those with the necessary permissions. ## Key Features - **[[Access Control]]:** Authorization defines which resources or services a user can access based on their role or privileges. - **[[Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)]]:** Assigns permissions to users based on predefined roles within an organization, simplifying the management of access rights. - **[[Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)]]:** Allows for more granular [[access control]] by defining permissions based on user attributes, actions, and environmental conditions. - **Policy Enforcement:** Authorization enforces security policies that dictate what authenticated users can and cannot do within a system. - **Permission Levels:** Different users or systems are granted varying levels of access depending on their responsibilities or the sensitivity of the data. ## Problem Addressed Authorization addresses the need to control access to sensitive resources and prevent unauthorized users, even if they are authenticated, from performing actions or accessing data they are not entitled to. It ensures that only users with the correct permissions can interact with specific resources, protecting sensitive data and critical system functions. ## Implications - **Access Management:** Authorization is critical in ensuring that users only access the data and systems they are permitted to, minimizing the risk of internal threats and errors. - **Security:** By limiting access to sensitive areas or data, authorization reduces the potential attack surface for malicious users or insiders. - **Compliance:** Authorization helps organizations meet regulatory requirements (e.g., [[General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)|GDPR]], [[Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)|HIPAA]]) by ensuring that only authorized personnel can access sensitive information. ## Impact - **Prevention of Unauthorized Access:** Authorization protects sensitive data and system functions from unauthorized users, even if they are authenticated, thus safeguarding against potential misuse. - **Granular Control:** Allows organizations to implement fine-grained control over who can access specific resources, perform certain actions, or view particular data. - **Reduction of Insider Threats:** By limiting what even authorized users can access or modify, authorization reduces the likelihood of insider attacks or accidental data leaks. - **Efficiency and Scalability:** Role-based authorization and other access control models make it easier to manage permissions across large organizations without manually assigning privileges to individual users. ## Defense Mechanisms - **[[Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)]]:** A widely used model that assigns users to specific roles with defined permissions, making it easier to manage and control access to resources. - **[[Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)]]:** A more flexible model that grants access based on attributes like user location, time of access, and the sensitivity of the data. - **[[Access Control Lists (ACLs)]]:** A list of rules that specify which users or systems are allowed to access a specific resource or perform a particular action. - **Policy-Based Access Control:** Establishes policies that dictate what actions users are allowed to perform based on various factors, including user roles, time of access, and location. - **Separation of Duties (SoD):** Ensures that critical tasks require multiple individuals to prevent unauthorized actions or fraud by any single user. ## Exploitable Mechanisms/Weaknesses - **Privilege Escalation:** Attackers can exploit system vulnerabilities to gain higher access privileges than authorized, leading to unauthorized actions or data breaches. - **Misconfigured Access Controls:** Incorrectly set permissions can inadvertently allow unauthorized users to access sensitive resources or perform restricted actions. - **Over-privileged Users:** Granting users more permissions than they need can increase the risk of accidental or malicious misuse of resources. - **Role Creep:** As users change roles within an organization, they may accumulate permissions they no longer need, leading to excessive access. - **Weak Policy Enforcement:** Ineffective enforcement of [[access control]] policies can result in unauthorized access, especially when combined with lax audit or monitoring practices. ## Common Tools/Software - **[[Identity and Access Management]] (IAM) Solutions:** Tools like **Okta**, **Microsoft Azure AD**, and **Auth0** manage user identities and authorization across platforms. - **[[Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)]] Systems:** **FreeIPA**, **AWS IAM**, and **Active Directory** enable organizations to assign and manage role-based permissions. - **Policy-Based Access Control Systems:** Tools like **Apache Ranger** or **Google Cloud IAM** allow for the enforcement of custom policies for accessing sensitive resources. - **[[Access Control Lists (ACLs)]]:** Common in file systems, databases, and network environments to specify access permissions. - **Zero Trust Frameworks:** Tools like **Palo Alto Networks Zero Trust** and **Zscaler** ensure continuous authorization by verifying every access attempt regardless of user location or network origin. ## Current Status Authorization remains a critical component of modern cybersecurity strategies, especially in complex environments like cloud computing, remote work, and multi-cloud infrastructures. Trends such as **zero-trust architectures** and **fine-grained [[access control]]** models like ABAC are gaining popularity to provide more secure and flexible authorization practices. ## Revision History - **2024-09-06:** Initial entry