Principle of Least Privilege: What, Why, and Best Practices

The Principle of Least Privilege (POLP) is a cybersecurity strategy that restricts access to the lowest level necessary for users and systems to perform their tasks, reducing the risk of security breaches and data loss. By limiting access, POLP helps prevent internal threats from malicious employees or external attacks from hackers, while also making it easier to respond to incidents by isolating compromised systems. Implementing a POLP system requires communication, planning, and regular audits to ensure compliance with international standards, and can be challenging but ultimately saves time and money in the long run when compared to the fallout from a data breach or malware infestation.