Privilege bloat occurs when too many users have access to data and processes that they don’t need to do their jobs. This is a problem for a variety of reasons, including issues related to compliance, security, and efficiency. While privilege bloat is pervasive across industries, it’s particularly alarming in financing because of the increased need to meet compliance regulations and safeguard personal data.
Privilege bloat is also known as:
- Permission bloat
- Privilege creep
- Access creep
Whenever you see permission, privilege, or access connected to bloat or creep, it’s probably the same concept by a different name.
Our Executive Director of Identity Services, Matt Growden, shares what "privilege bloat" is and how an identity management tool can help alleviate it
Why Is Privilege Bloat a Problem?
Privilege bloat may well be present at your financial institution, but is it really that big of a deal? Yes, and it needs to be addressed quickly. Here’s why.
- Compliance: Banks face stiff penalties for noncompliance, and uncontrolled access management is an audit red flag that needs to be taken seriously. You must ensure that private data is only available to employees who need it.
- Privacy: Your reputation is paramount in the financial industry. Customers need to know that their private financial information is protected from those who do not need to access it.
- Security: As Matt shared in the video, unfettered employee access to all systems poses a security risk. A misplaced password or downloaded virus will have its impact limited by the user's permissions.
- Efficiency: In addition to making sure users don’t have too much access, identity management ensures that each employee does have the permission they need to perform their job. Privilege bloat adds superfluous content to the mix that distracts from what’s required.
What Causes Privilege Bloat?
The truth is that privilege bloat is far too easy to fall into; if you aren’t actively taking steps to avoid it, your organization could have permission issues you don’t even realize.
Inadequate Access Management
If you don’t have a robust access management system in place, privilege bloat is probably the default in your organization. Only financial institutions that are consistently vigilant about reducing or eliminating bloat—whether through their own procedures or by partnering with experts like Provision IAM—are really able to keep a handle on the issue.
Role Changes
Christie spent years excelling as a superstar teller and lead teller before being promoted to loan officer. She’s excelling in her new role, but does she still need access to the same customer data and banking systems she once used daily? No—but if her permissions aren’t updated, that’s an example of privilege bloat.
Another common example in this sphere involves temporary access granted while one employee covers for another during leave. Their permission needs will change during this period, but it becomes a case of bloat if they still retain unnecessary access after returning to their regular position.
Lack of Audits
Even a comprehensive access management plan is only as good as the frequency of permission audits. As we saw in the above examples, roles and needs change, so it’s necessary to check back in on a regular basis to see what bloat has fallen through the cracks, fix it, and make a plan to prevent the same issue from recurring.
Fight Privilege Bloat with Provision IAM
We recommend the least privilege principle, an identity management philosophy that ensures that each user has exactly the rights they need to do their job and no more. This approach rejects privilege bloat and its risks.
There are compelling reasons to actively fight against privilege bloat, but a manual strategy requires a great deal of resources. Consider how Provision IAM can help you automatically combat bloat and take the most efficient identity and access management approach.
