Why Enterprise Security (both coding practices and Cyber security process) should be in the fore front of your Product/Platform development

At NStarX , Identity and Access Management (IAM) framework is evolving everyday. As the digital footprint across the enterprises keep growing, so does the attack surface. How do you prevent them from happening? Besides the best coding practices and building robust processes, it is also important to bring this in the forefront as cultural mind-shift in an organization. NStarX team is continuously improving its framework based on its learning along with its customers and partners.

Authorization is a very ingrained part of the user access. After a user is authenticated, the system must then determine what they are authorized to do. This involves assigning roles to users and controlling their access to resources based on these roles. For instance, a typical employee may have access to the company's standard resources, but not to sensitive financial data, which might be accessible only to a finance manager or a top executive. This concept is often referred to as the principle of least privilege, which means giving a user account only those privileges which are essential to perform its intended function.

Authorization itself is a very deep subject for any organization to understand it better. The Engineering at NStarX are trying to go deep both in terms of the software coding practices and teaming it up with robust process to make authorization more reliable, robust and bring in enough in the environment when it comes to enterprise security. We outline a few of the best practices across coding and the cyber security processes.

Best Coding Practices for Authorization:

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC):

• Use roles to define access levels and permissions rather than assigning permissions directly to individual users.
• Regularly review and update roles to ensure they align with organizational changes and needs.

Principle of Least Privilege:

• Assign the minimum level of access — or permissions — needed for users to accomplish their tasks.
• Regularly review and adjust privileges as necessary.

Use Access Control Lists (ACLs) and Capabilities:

• Define what resources a user or role can access and what operations they can perform on those resources.
• Keep ACLs and capabilities up to date and review them regularly.

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC):

• Use attributes (such as user department, time of access) to define access controls.
• Regularly review attribute policies to ensure they are still relevant.

Secure the Authorization Process:

• Store authorization data securely, using encryption and secure protocols.
• Regularly audit and monitor authorization processes and access logs to detect any anomalies or unauthorized access.

Use OAuth or OpenID Connect:

• For web applications, use standard protocols like OAuth 2.0 or OpenID Connect for authorization.
• Regularly update libraries and dependencies to patch any vulnerabilities.

Immutable Audit Logs:

• Keep immutable logs of all access and actions performed in the system.
• Regularly review logs to detect and respond to suspicious activities.

Time-Based Access Controls:

• Implement time-based restrictions to limit access to resources during specific time frames.
• Regularly review and adjust time-based controls as necessary.

Here we outline the Best Cyber security Processes for Authorization:

Regular Audits and Reviews:

• Regularly audit user accounts, roles, and permissions to ensure they are still necessary and appropriate.
• Review access logs to detect and respond to any unauthorized or suspicious access.

Incident Response Plan:

• Have a well-defined and tested incident response plan in place to respond to any security incidents related to unauthorized access.

User Training and Awareness:

• Train users on security policies and best practices to avoid security risks related to authorization.
• Regularly update training materials to address new threats and vulnerabilities.

Policy Enforcement:

• Enforce security policies strictly and consistently across the organization.
• Regularly review and update security policies to address new threats and organizational changes.

Regular Security Assessments:

• Conduct regular security assessments to identify and address vulnerabilities related to authorization.
• Use penetration testing to identify potential weaknesses in the authorization process.

Patch Management:

• Regularly update and patch systems to address any known vulnerabilities that could be exploited to gain unauthorized access.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):

• Enforce MFA wherever possible to add an additional layer of security to the authorization process.

By combining robust coding practices with strong cyber security processes, organizations can significantly enhance the security of their authorization mechanisms and protect sensitive resources from unauthorized access.

Please let us know in comments if there are more that we can share between all of us.