What is a User Access Review? Best Practices & Checklist

What is a User Access Review and Why is it Essential?

The purpose of access reviews is to ensure that users’ access privileges correspond with their designated roles and to minimize the privileges granted to employees. According to a report by Centrify (now Delinea), 74% of data breaches start with privileged credential abuse. Hence, user access reviews are essential for minimizing the risk of cybersecurity threats. To be more precise, user access reviews can help in the following areas:

Privilege creep, misuse, and abuse

User access reviews are essential to mitigate security threats like privilege creep, privilege misuse, and privilege abuse. Privilege creep occurs when employees obtain access to more sensitive data than required, leading to unauthorized access to data, which may lead to a security breach. Privilege misuse is when privileges are used in a way that goes against company policy. On the other hand, privilege abuse involves fraudulent activity, leading to malicious actors accessing, exfiltrating, or corrupting an organization’s data.

Secure off-boarding

In the event of an employee or third-party termination, it is imperative to revoke access rights to prevent access to sensitive information. Failure to remove access rights will give the former employee the ability to access vast quantities of confidential data even after they have left the company. This can lead to potential security breaches if the departing party is resentful and motivated to exploit their active credentials during the period of termination.

Reduced licensing fees

Failure to monitor and restrict user access to specific systems can result in excessive spending on system licenses and accounts. The cost of a single license can be quite high, ranging in the hundreds of dollars for various systems. For instance, if an employee from the accounts department doesn’t need an Adobe Photoshop license, they shouldn’t be granted access to systems running the software.

Challenges Associated with User Access Reviews

Companies often face challenges when it comes to reviewing user access in cybersecurity. This can include the time and resources required, especially for larger companies with complex IT systems. Lack of access control tools can make the process even more difficult and prone to errors. High employee turnover can also complicate matters, as can addressing disgruntlement and dissatisfaction among employees when access rights are changed. Lastly, meeting regulatory constraints for securing user access poses its own set of challenges, with compliance requirements varying by industry and location.

User Access Review Checklist

To ensure the effectiveness of user access reviews, it is essential to have a checklist that outlines the process. Below are some of the key steps to take in order to effectively review user access:

1. Define the scope of the user access review

Defining the scope of the user access review process is crucial, as it will help you conduct the audit in a more structured, timely, and efficient manner. It is a good idea to prioritize the accounts that have the highest risk profiles, as this will speed up the process and make it more efficient. You should ensure that your user access policy includes:

• An inventory of all data and resources that need to be protected;
• A list of user roles, responsibilities, and categories of authorization;
• Documentation about the controls, tools, and strategies used to ensure secure access;
• The administrative measures in place, including the software used, to apply the policy;
• The procedures for granting, revoking, and reviewing access.

2. Watch out for shadow admin accounts

Shadow admin accounts are user accounts that have administrative access permissions, but are not typically included in privileged Active Directory (AD) groups. Malicious attackers can target these accounts, escalating and exploiting their privileges if they are not monitored carefully. It is recommended to either remove shadow admin accounts altogether or to add them to monitored administrative groups.

3. Regularly Scheduled Reviews

Establishing a consistent schedule for user access reviews is essential to maintain the security and integrity of your Active Directory. Decide on a review frequency that suits your organization, whether it’s quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Consistency ensures that access reviews are conducted in a timely and efficient manner, minimizing potential risks.

4. Review User Permissions and Access

Begin by thoroughly examining the permissions and access associated with each user account in Active Directory. Verify that users have access appropriate to their roles and responsibilities within the organization. Identify and rectify any instances of excessive or unnecessary access rights, ensuring that access is aligned with job requirements.

5. Confirm Access Justification and Business Need

It’s crucial to validate the necessity of each user’s access by confirming that there is a documented business justification for their permissions. Reach out to managers or department heads to ensure that the level of access granted aligns with the user’s current role and responsibilities. Having a clear business need for access helps in justifying and maintaining appropriate access levels.

6. Monitor for Inactive or Stale Accounts

Identify accounts that have been inactive for a defined period and review them during your access review process. Evaluate whether these accounts should be disabled, deleted, or have their access rights adjusted based on organizational policies. Addressing inactive or stale accounts helps maintain a clean and secure Active Directory environment.

7. Document and Track Review Findings

Documenting the outcomes of each user access review is critical for accountability and compliance purposes. Record any actions taken during the review, such as access modifications, approvals, or removals. Maintain a comprehensive audit trail of the review process, decisions made, and any exceptions or escalations. This documentation will serve as evidence of compliance with regulations and internal policies during audits.

User Access Review Best Practices

To ensure the effectiveness of user access reviews, it is essential to have a checklist that outlines the process. Below are some of the key steps to take in order to effectively review user access:

Enforce segregation of duties (SOD)

Implementing segregation of duties (SOD) is crucial for organizational security. These practices help prevent fraudulent activities by ensuring that no single person has complete control over critical processes. SOD involves assigning tasks to different individuals or teams to create a system of checks and balances. This prevents misconduct from going undetected.

Revoke permissions of ex-employees

It is crucial to promptly remove access privileges for departing employees to maintain high security. Deactivating accounts is not enough; their permissions must be completely removed from systems and applications. Verifying the revocation of access is a key step in preventing former employees from using retained access for malicious purposes. Regular audits should focus on the status of accounts linked to ex-employees, and a detailed log should be kept to ensure their access privileges are fully terminated.

Adopt a zero-trust approach for privileged accounts

To effectively secure organizational assets, a proactive and customized approach is necessary as cybercriminals target high-privilege accounts. Automating the management of these accounts can help ensure consistency, reduce errors, and streamline security protocols. Implementing predefined expiry dates for accounts can also enhance their resilience by prompting regular reviews of access requirements. Continuous monitoring and access evaluation are vital in the zero-trust philosophy for privileged accounts, allowing for quick identification of unauthorized activities and facilitating audit trails.

Assess compliance with security policies

Ensuring compliance with security policies requires a strategic approach that goes beyond a simple checklist. It involves identifying irregularities in order to detect potential security breaches or insider threats. This includes monitoring and assessing user access changes, such as alterations to user accounts and privileges, to minimize the risk of unauthorized data exposure or misuse. By proactively countering potential threats and responding to suspicious activities, the likelihood of significant data breaches or operational disruptions is reduced. Regularly comparing your organization’s cybersecurity framework against established security policies and guidelines is also crucial. This helps to identify any discrepancies or deviations from the intended security posture and allows for prompt corrective actions to maintain a robust security landscape.

Document the review process

It is crucial to document the process of reviewing user access in order to maintain security and efficiency within an organization. This process carefully examines the rights, permissions, and privileges of users with regards to digital assets like applications and databases. The main goal is to identify any inconsistencies, potential security risks, or operational inefficiencies within the current access management system.

What Standards, Laws, and Regulations require user access reviews?

There are several standards, laws, and regulations that require user access reviews to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive information and systems. Some of the prominent ones are:

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): The GDPR establishes regulations for data privacy and protection in the European Union (EU). It mandates that organizations regularly review access rights and permissions to ensure compliance with the principle of least privilege.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): HIPAA sets regulations for the protection of patient health information in the United States. It requires healthcare organizations to conduct periodic user access reviews to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to sensitive medical records.

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS): PCI DSS is a security standard for organizations that handle credit card information. It requires regular user access reviews to prevent unauthorized access to cardholder data.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX): SOX is a US federal law that establishes regulations for financial reporting and corporate governance. It requires regular user access reviews to ensure the accuracy and integrity of financial reporting and prevent fraudulent practices.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-53: This publication provides guidelines for securing federal information systems in the United States. It recommends regular user access reviews as a key control to identify and remediate unauthorized access or excessive privileges.

ISO/IEC 27001: This international standard outlines requirements for an information security management system (ISMS). It emphasizes the need for regular user access reviews to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information assets.

How Lepide Helps with User Access Reviews

The Lepide Data Security Platform is designed to assist with user access reviews by offering a range of features and capabilities. Using advanced machine learning techniques, our solution can monitor user behavior for anomalies and identify users with excessive permissions, thus helping to apply appropriate access controls. You’ll receive real-time alerts and reports on risky user behavior, enabling you to take prompt action to protect your data. Our platform offers a data discovery and classification feature, which allows you to easily locate and classify sensitive data in your unstructured data stores. Once you know where your sensitive data resides, you can accurately determine the number of users that have access to it, and how they engage with it. Additionally, the Lepide Active Directory Cleanup feature simplifies the process of keeping Active Directory clean by automating actions like deleting or disabling inactive and obsolete accounts. This reduces the need for IT staff involvement and helps maintain a clean and secure Active Directory environment, which in turn simplifies the processes of reviewing user access.

If you’d like to see how the Lepide Data Security Platform can help you implement and monitor your user access strategy, schedule a demo with one of our engineers.