Principle of Least Privilege

Least privilege is an access-control principle: each person, system account, or application should receive only the permissions it needs for a specific responsibility. In a website, a copy editor may need access to publish articles but not to rotate production API keys; a form integration may need to write one dataset but not administer every database.

Applying least privilege involves defining roles, removing unused permissions, and reviewing access when duties change. It also matters for automation: tokens that can edit production content or deploy a site should not be embedded in public code or broadly shared with unrelated services. Avoid assuming that a single 'administrator' account must be used for all routine changes.

The goal is to reduce the impact of mistakes or compromised credentials, not to make an account impossible to use. Combine access limits with multifactor authentication, audit logs, backup procedures, and periodic review. NIST describes the same principle as restricting authorizations to what is necessary for assigned tasks.