Least privilege

The security principle of giving each user, application or system only the minimum access it needs to do its job, and nothing more.

Under least privilege, a receptionist would not have access to payroll files, a bookkeeper would not have administrator rights on their computer, and a software integration would only be able to read the specific data it needs. Access is granted for a purpose and removed when that purpose ends.

Least privilege limits the damage when something goes wrong. If an account with limited access is compromised, the attacker can reach far less. Many malware infections also need administrator rights to install or spread, so removing local admin rights from everyday users can prevent a large number of attacks. In small businesses, everyone having admin rights is common simply because it was easier during setup.

Practical tip: remove local administrator rights from staff computers and use a separate, protected account for administrative tasks. Review access to sensitive folders and applications periodically, and replace one-off exceptions with time-limited access where your systems support it. Start with the most sensitive data first, such as finance, HR and client records.