What are the three primary rules for RBAC
Read about how role assignment, role authorization, and permissions authorization—the three primary RBAC rules—work (and how to get them right).
As the number of different software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications used by organizations across the globe continues to grow steadily, so too does the demand for an effective framework for determining—and enforcing—how different users are authorized to use each app.
Through the “rules” of role assignment, role authorization, and permission authorization, role-based access control (RBAC) provides organizations with a powerful and dynamic framework for effectively granting (and restricting) user access to various apps, systems, and resources.
Whether you’re just discovering RBAC or are looking for some role-based access control best practices you can implement in your organization, you’ll want to keep reading. We’ll look at RBAC from a few different perspectives—including the three primary rules of RBAC, the four main types of access control, and the five essential components of a role-based access control solution.
What Are the 3 RBAC Rules?
The primary rules for an RBAC model are role assignment, role authorization, and permission authorization.
- Role Assignment: An individual can only be authorized to access organizational resources after being assigned a defined role.
- Role Authorization: The system must acknowledge and authorize the individual’s active role.
- Permission Authorization: Each user’s privileges are implemented and upheld based on their role assignment and role authorization.
What Three Elements Does a Role-Based Access Control Consist Of?
In order to fulfill the RBAC rules defined above, an effective role-based access control must consist of individual users, defined roles, and specific permissions that align with their role as well as the organization’s needs.
- Users: What individuals (or departments/entities) need access to specific assets, systems, and resources?
- Roles: What role-based groups can users be organized into, so that permissions can be granted and modified more efficiently?
- Permissions: Within a given role (individual or group), what specific actions should be permitted vs. denied?
By consistently thinking about access control in terms of users, roles, and permissions, organizations can save time and costs, while reducing unnecessary security risks.
What Are the Four Main Types of Access Control?
There are four main types or categories of access control: discretionary, role-based, and attribute-based.
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Assigns user permissions based on various roles within the organization. For many companies, RBAC serves as a simple and scalable solution—though they often integrate other access control models as well as part of a more comprehensive approach.
- Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC): Provides a more granular approach compared with RBAC. Rather than granting or denying access based solely on defined roles, ABAC enables administrators to consider additional attributes related to specific users, actions, or resources.
- Discretionary Access Control (DAC): Rather than relying on hard-and-fast rules (based on roles or attributes, for example), DAC incorporates administrative discretion. Data owners and system administrators can grant or revoke access as they deem appropriate.
- Mandatory Access Control (MAC): While DAC serves as a less stringent access control model than RBAC and ABAC, MAC is often considered the strictest approach. For MAC, system administrators set security policies and prevent users from adjusting access controls without approval. MAC is frequently used within environments with a strong need for security, like government, military, and intelligence.
What Are the Three Main Components of a Role-Based Access Control Solution?
The three main components you can expect to find in an RBAC solution include support for role assignment, role authorization, and permission authorization. In other words, the best RBAC solutions enable administrators to determine how users, roles, and permissions are defined—and to easily set, manage, and tweak access controls as the organization’s needs evolve.
In addition to users, roles, and permissions, the top RBAC solutions provide a more comprehensive and versatile toolset for administrators. Finally, the best solutions—like Lumos—are also highly scalable and easy to customize over time.
Discover the Power of Self-Service and Automation, with Lumos
Organizations looking to improve efficiency without sacrificing security should seek out a solution that enables the implementation of role-based access control best practices like self-service and automation. Lumos empowers companies with intelligent, customizable tools that can free IT teams from what can feel like an endless queue of access requests.
You can learn more about how Lumos can transform your organization’s approach to role-based access control by downloading A CIO’s Guide to Self-Service & RBAC. Or, reach out to schedule a demo.
