INFORMATION SECURITY AND AUDIT
SOLVED PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Principle of Separation of Privilege

The Principle of Separation of Privilege is a key security concept that emphasizes dividing and distributing the necessary privileges among multiple parties to perform a specific task. This principle reduces the risk of a single point of failure and ensures that no single entity has complete control over sensitive operations, thereby enhancing security and reducing the likelihood of abuse or errors.

Principle of Separation of Privilege

  1. Divided Responsibilities:
    • Responsibilities and privileges are divided among multiple parties. This ensures that a single party cannot unilaterally perform sensitive or critical actions.
  2. Checks and Balances:
    • Implementing multiple layers of approval or checks for critical actions ensures that no single individual has complete control. This often involves requiring the approval of more than one individual for certain operations.
  3. Least Privilege:
    • Each party involved should have the minimum necessary privileges required to perform their part of the task. This limits the potential damage that could result from the compromise of any single party.
  4. Separation of Duties:
    • Different individuals or systems handle different aspects of a process. For example, in financial transactions, one person might authorize a payment while another person processes it.