AC-6 Least Privilege
Control
Employ the principle of least privilege, allowing only authorized accesses for users (or processes acting on behalf of users) that are necessary to accomplish assigned organizational tasks.
Discussion
Organizations employ least privilege for specific duties and systems. The principle of least privilege is also applied to system processes, ensuring that the processes have access to systems and operate at privilege levels no higher than necessary to accomplish organizational missions or business functions. Organizations consider the creation of additional processes, roles, and accounts as necessary to achieve least privilege. Organizations apply least privilege to the development, implementation, and operation of organizational systems.
Control enhancements (10)
- AC-6(1)Authorize Access to Security FunctionsMODERATEHIGH
- AC-6(2)Non-privileged Access for Nonsecurity FunctionsMODERATEHIGH
- AC-6(3)Network Access to Privileged CommandsHIGH
- AC-6(4)Separate Processing Domains
- AC-6(5)Privileged AccountsMODERATEHIGH
- AC-6(6)Privileged Access by Non-organizational Users
- AC-6(7)Review of User PrivilegesMODERATEHIGH
- AC-6(8)Privilege Levels for Code Execution
- AC-6(9)Log Use of Privileged FunctionsMODERATEHIGH
- AC-6(10)Prohibit Non-privileged Users from Executing Privileged FunctionsMODERATEHIGH
Related controls
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Control catalog and framework text on this page is reproduced from official NIST publications — a public-domain work of the U.S. Government (17 U.S.C. §105). Maverc commentary, groupings, and readiness guidance are our own and are not part of any NIST publication.