What is RBAC [Role Based Access Control Modules Explained] + Policy PDF

A survey conducted by Ponemon Institute on the cost of insider threats found that 56% of incidents are caused by employee negligence. The report also showed that business downtime and revenue loss were the most significant consequence of an insider incident. On average, an incident sets orgs back by $648,062. This number has significantly increased over the last decade, and is projected to spike over the coming years. 

Containing insider threats involves the deployment of a suite of technologies, one of which is Role Based Access Control, or Privileged Access Management (PAM).

In this blog, we explain what it is, the basic models of RBAC, reasons to implement it, and some best practices while doing so. 

What is Role Based Access Control (RBAC)?

Role Based Access Control, RBAC for short, is a control mechanism defined by an organization’s policies, privileges, and exceptions to regulate access to networks, resources, and applications based on functions (authority, role, hierarchical structures) or permissions (view, edit, share). 

This model is a subset of Identity and Access Management (IAM), a cybersecurity discipline that aims to protect the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of sensitive assets. It is one of the most used models of access control. 

How does RBAC work?

At its core, RBAC works on three principles or components that function together to build a critical block of your security architecture. 

The first component is the principle of least privilege. It limits the amount of access a user has to sensitive data. Users can access specific or the only data required to carry out their daily functions without any hindrance. 

The second principle, separation of duties (also called segregation of duties) is a control designed to prevent misuse of access to a specific system. Here, tasks and access to multiple components of a single system or project is divided between at least two individuals. 

The final principle is data abstraction, a process where the amount of data displayed to the user is limited. This technique filters out internal mechanisms, functions, and shows specific elements. For example, in an account application, these abstract permissions are credit and debit rather than view, edit, or execute permissions. 

RBAC models—three basic structures

To understand how RBAC works, let’s take a look at the key components of role-based access control models. 

Base RBAC

The basic or core model of RBAC consists of three entities – users, roles, and permissions. 

• In most cases, the definition of users are limited individuals, although it can be expanded to include non-human entities like automated agents and robots. 
• Role refers to a job function or a responsibility within an organization. 
• Permissions are approval or denial of accessing a specific or multiple objects. 

How are these entities interconnected?

According to NIST, a user can have multiple roles and a role can have multiple users. Moreover, a role can have multiple permissions – and a single permission can be assigned to many roles. 

When a user is actively operating a system, the duration is measured by “session”. A single session may have one user responsible for multiple roles and, therefore, multiple sessions at the same time in different windows or workstations. So, each session may have a combination of multiple roles activated simultaneously during an ongoing session. 

Hierarchical RBAC

In the second model, role hierarchies are introduced in RBAC. In any infrastructure that includes roles, hierarchies are almost always included. Generally speaking, roles working in higher roles within the infrastructure have more privileges and access compared to a user with basic roles. 

Let’s take the example of a healthcare facility. Physicians can access everything that nurses can. Similarly, a project manager can access all systems developers and testers can. 

In some cases, limitations exist to the scope of such a system of automatic hierarchical access inheritance. 

In certain scenarios, a developer may not share access to the code repository with the project manager or supervisor until its completion. Such roles are called private roles. 

Constrained RBAC

An important aspect of the RBAC modules is the concept of constraints. Developed to minimize fraudulent activities and misuse of privileges, it works by distributing access to a single system to two or more users. Essentially, one individual cannot be part of two roles—as stated in the principle of separation of Duties (SoD). 

For example, in a banking system, the user responsible for reconciling bank statements should not be the same person as someone who processes cash transactions. 

Similarly, the user requesting access to a system should not be responsible for authorizing or accepting the request. 

One of the most commonly used systems in a constrained RBAC model is the elimination of mutually exclusive roles; one user is assigned no more than one role. This is known as Static Separation of Duties (SSD). 

Why should you implement RBAC?

An efficient access control policy helps businesses quickly onboard new employees without manual work, update privileges to align with role changes, and implement the right security controls. 

Here are the three key benefits of implementing  Role Based Access Control: 

1. Adds operational efficiency

RBAC modules are a structured approach that helps you create, implement, and manage assets. This system eliminates the need for IT administrators to continuously configure, evaluate, and update a complex system of users, devices, and permissions specific to each case. It is useful, especially for businesses scaling at an unprecedented rate. 

2. Reduces security risk 

Individual users with privileged access to sensitive data and systems can accidentally or unintentionally leak data. 

While adopting RBAC does not 100 percent guarantee the security of sensitive data, it aims to reduce the chances of such mishaps using the principle of least privilege. By implementing a zero-trust module, you significantly improve your security posture. 

3. Adherence to compliance

If you process sensitive customer data like PII (Personal Identifiable Information) or PHI (personal health information), one or more data privacy regulations may be compulsory. 

For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires covered entities to limit access to ePHI to only those who need it for treatment purposes. 

The General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR), in article 25 requires data controllers to “implement appropriate technical and organizational measures for ensuring that, by default, only personal data which are necessary for each specific purpose of the processing are processed”. 

RBAC vs ABAC, ACL, and PBAC

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) is an access control model that grants permissions to users based on attributes such as location, time, user device, or any other approved characteristic.

Access Control Lists (ACLs) are an access control mechanism encompassing a list of permissions associated with each critical resource. It is used in file systems to define user actions that can be performed in file directories or are employed in network devices to filter traffic based on permissions.

Policy-Based Access Control (PBAC) is an access control model that uses policies and rules to grant permissions. These policies can be related to resource attributes, IT environment conditions etc. Access is provided dynamically based on current policies in place.

Here are the key differences between RBAC, ABAC, ACL, and PBAC:

Basis	RBAC	ABAC	ACL	PBAC
Mechanism	Access is granted based on predefined roles assigned to users	Access is granted based on user attributes, resource attributes or environmental conditions	A list of permissions is associated with resources and users are allowed or denied access accordingly	Access is granted dynamically based on policies and rules.
Use Case	Suitable for organizations with well-defined roles	Suitable for complex environments	Used in file systems and network devices and suitable for small and medium businesses with straightforward access control needs.	Suitable for organizations that require adaptable access control mechanisms.
Flexibility	Limited flexibility as permissions are defined based on roles	Highly flexible as it considers various attributes to grant access	Limited flexibility due to predefined permissions	Flexible as policies can be updated dynamically
Granularity	Moderately granular	Fine-grained access control	Fine granularity	Granularity can be decided based on policies in place
Set up and Scalability	Easier to scale as it is simple to set up and manage	Can be scalable because of flexibility but very complex to set up	Easy to set up and implement but can be difficult to manage at a scale	Can be scalable based on the organization’s ability to create and enforce policies
Complexity	Low complexity	Can be complex to design because it considers various attributes	Low complexity	Complex because of dynamic policies

Each of these has different use cases and are suitable for organizations with different security needs. If you are looking for an easy-to-set-up and scalable solution, RBAC can be a good choice. If you are looking for more granularity, you must opt for ABAC.

Best practices to implement RBAC

Implementing RBAC is a crucial component to a tight posture as it reduces the risk of data breaches due to unauthorized access. Here are some tips to implement this practice across your infrastructure: 

Evaluate your scope

Understanding the nitty gritties of your infrastructure is key to select the right role-based access control model. Create an asset inventory of networks, endpoints, and tools. Map each asset to the owner. Analyze the roles, responsibilities, process, and functions. Also consider compliance and regulatory requirements, if applicable. 

Evaluate the roles

If you do not have a defined set of roles, create one. A formal list of role definitions helps you ensure transparency and maintain accountability. This activity should be done on a granular level to include nuances like temporary access, conflicting roles, inheritance of permissions, and more.

Keep an eye on requirements to cover all aspects of the permission for each job duties and data like shown in the sample table below. 

Role	Asset Type	Read Access	Write Access	Execute Access
CEO	Financial Reports	Yes	Yes	Yes
CEO	Strategic Plans	Yes	Yes	Yes
CFO	Financial Reports	Yes	Yes	No
CFO	Budget Data	Yes	Yes	No
HR Manager	Employee Records	Yes	Yes	No
HR Manager	Recruitment Data	Yes	Yes	Yes
IT Administrator	IT Infrastructure	Yes	Yes	Yes
IT Administrator	Security Policies	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sales Manager	Sales Reports	Yes	No	No
Sales Manager	Customer Data	Yes	Yes	No
Finance Analyst	Financial Statements	Yes	No	No
Finance Analyst	Market Data	Yes	No	No
Employee	Company Policies	Yes	No	No
Employee	Project Documentation	Yes	Yes	No
Guest	Public Information	Yes	No	No
Guest	FAQ Documents	Yes	No	No

Develop a policy 

Define the rules, permissions, practices, and exceptions that govern your organization’s sensitive resources. Share it with stakeholders and third parties, and be sure to include it in your vendor contracts. Create your policies keeping compliance requirements and legal obligations in mind. 

Download Sprinto’s Access Control Policy Template for free 

Implement and monitor 

Now that you have a good understanding of your requirements, policies, and scope, put your plan into action. This is tricky, as implementing a complex system is easier said than done, especially if you are planning to manage everything manually. 

We recommend automating the process to avoid pitfalls, streamline the process, and continuously monitor instances of non-adherence using a tool like Sprinto that puts access management on autopilot. Learn how. 

The easy way to continuous compliance, comprehensive access control

Role Based Access Control is a widely adopted approach to minimize insider threats, business downtime, and data loss. It is a key block to building a robust security posture and a compulsory requirement mandated by multiple compliance frameworks. 

Implementing the module, especially for small to medium-sized businesses, can be challenging. Using semi-manual tools like Excel Sheet creates more problems than it solves— typos, multiple entries, and more; all of which are recipes for  security disasters.

Sprinto helps companies like yours simply manage and automate access to critical systems using a zero-trust model aligned with any framework. Using Sprinto, you can: 

• Create a holistic balance between securing critical systems and enabling seamless access.
• Map users to critical systems based on adaptive policies and dynamic factors like role hierarchies. 
• Track role changes, access history, and noncompliance, all from a centralized dashboard. 
• Build and maintain an updated inventory of accounts and systems, as well as access to spot log patterns and instances of poor configurations. 

Need something else? Talk to our experts today. 

FAQs

What are access control lists (ACL) in RBAC?

Access control lists are an organization’s list of permissions or authorizations that dictates which user or system can access which file or resources. 

What are the four models of RBAC?

The four main models of role based access control are Flat RBAC, Hierarchical RBAC, Constrained RBAC, and Symmetric RBAC. 

What are the three primary rules for RBAC?

The three primary rules for RBAC are role assignment (users can access a system only if the role permits), role authorization (permission is categorized in roles like admin, user, or super admin), and permission authorization (allowing permission based on the role).

What is the difference between RBAC and ABAC?

The main difference between the two models of access control is how the permissions are managed. In RBAC, the roles are predefined while in ABAC the permissions are based on specific use cases. 

How does discretionary access control (DAC) and mandatory access control (MAC) differ?

The key difference between MAC and DAC is the way access control is implemented. In a DAC model, the user can manage access to their resources whereas in the MAC model uses a centralized authority system.