Skip to Content
SecuritySecurity ControlsAccess Control

Access Control

Overview

Access control is a fundamental security principle that ensures only authorized users can access systems, data, and resources. Earna AI implements a comprehensive access control framework aligned with SOC2 Type II requirements and the principle of least privilege.

Access Control Framework

Identity Management

User Lifecycle Management

interface UserLifecycle { provisioning: { trigger: 'HR onboarding process' approval: 'Manager and IT approval required' timing: 'Before first day of work' process: { identityCreation: 'Unique user identifier' roleAssignment: 'Based on job function' systemAccess: 'According to role requirements' credentialDelivery: 'Secure delivery mechanism' } } modification: { triggers: [ 'Role change', 'Department transfer', 'Promotion/demotion', 'Project assignment' ] approval: 'Manager approval required' timing: 'Effective date of change' process: { accessReview: 'Review current access' roleUpdate: 'Update role assignments' accessAdjustment: 'Add/remove access as needed' notification: 'Notify user and stakeholders' } } deprovisioning: { triggers: [ 'Employment termination', 'Extended leave', 'Contract expiration', 'System retirement' ] approval: 'HR and IT approval' timing: 'Immediate for termination' process: { accountDisablement: 'Immediate account lockout' accessRevocation: 'Remove all system access' dataHandling: 'Secure data transfer/deletion' auditTrail: 'Complete audit documentation' } } }

Identity Governance

identity_governance: user_categories: employees: lifecycle: "Full HR integration" authentication: "Corporate SSO + MFA" authorization: "Role-based access control" monitoring: "Standard user activity monitoring" contractors: lifecycle: "Contract-based provisioning" authentication: "Sponsored account + MFA" authorization: "Limited role-based access" monitoring: "Enhanced activity monitoring" service_accounts: lifecycle: "System-based provisioning" authentication: "Certificate or key-based" authorization: "Principle of least privilege" monitoring: "Automated activity monitoring" privileged_users: lifecycle: "Executive approval required" authentication: "Enhanced MFA (hardware tokens)" authorization: "Just-in-time privilege elevation" monitoring: "Real-time privileged activity monitoring"

Authentication

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

class MFAManager { async authenticateUser(credentials: Credentials): Promise<AuthResult> { const factors = [] // Factor 1: Something you know (password/PIN) const knowledge = await this.validateKnowledgeFactor(credentials.password) if (!knowledge.valid) { return { success: false, reason: 'Invalid credentials' } } factors.push(knowledge) // Factor 2: Something you have (token/device) const possession = await this.validatePossessionFactor(credentials.token) if (!possession.valid) { return { success: false, reason: 'Invalid token' } } factors.push(possession) // Factor 3: Something you are (biometric) - Optional for high-security if (credentials.biometric && this.isHighSecurityRequired(credentials.user)) { const inherence = await this.validateInherenceFactor(credentials.biometric) if (!inherence.valid) { return { success: false, reason: 'Biometric authentication failed' } } factors.push(inherence) } // Risk-based authentication const risk = await this.assessRisk(credentials) if (risk.level === 'high' && factors.length < 2) { return { success: false, reason: 'Additional authentication required' } } return { success: true, sessionToken: await this.generateSessionToken(credentials.user), factors: factors.map(f => f.type), riskLevel: risk.level } } supportedFactors = { knowledge: [ 'Password', 'PIN', 'Security questions' ], possession: [ 'SMS OTP', 'Email OTP', 'TOTP (Authenticator app)', 'Hardware security keys (FIDO2/WebAuthn)', 'Smart cards' ], inherence: [ 'Fingerprint', 'Face recognition', 'Voice recognition' ] } }

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Authorization

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

rbac_model: roles: read_only: description: "View-only access to assigned resources" permissions: - read:customer_data - read:transaction_data - read:reports exclusions: - write:* - admin:* analyst: description: "Data analysis and reporting capabilities" inherits: ["read_only"] permissions: - create:reports - execute:queries - export:data restrictions: - "PII data requires additional approval" compliance_officer: description: "Compliance monitoring and reporting" inherits: ["analyst"] permissions: - read:audit_logs - create:compliance_reports - access:regulatory_data - manage:kyc_records administrator: description: "System administration capabilities" permissions: - admin:system_config - manage:users - access:system_logs - execute:maintenance restrictions: - "Cannot access customer PII without business justification" security_admin: description: "Security administration and incident response" permissions: - admin:security_config - investigate:incidents - access:security_logs - manage:security_tools

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)

interface ABACPolicy { subject: { attributes: { userId: string department: string clearanceLevel: 'public' | 'internal' | 'confidential' | 'restricted' roles: string[] location: string timeOfDay: string } } resource: { attributes: { dataClassification: 'public' | 'internal' | 'confidential' | 'restricted' owner: string department: string sensitivity: 'low' | 'medium' | 'high' geolocation: string } } action: { attributes: { operation: 'read' | 'write' | 'update' | 'delete' | 'execute' purpose: 'business' | 'administrative' | 'audit' urgency: 'routine' | 'urgent' | 'emergency' } } environment: { attributes: { time: Date location: string network: 'internal' | 'external' | 'vpn' deviceType: 'managed' | 'unmanaged' riskLevel: 'low' | 'medium' | 'high' } } } class ABACEngine { async evaluateAccess(request: AccessRequest): Promise<AccessDecision> { const policies = await this.getApplicablePolicies(request) for (const policy of policies) { const decision = await this.evaluatePolicy(policy, request) if (decision.effect === 'DENY') { return { result: 'DENY', reason: decision.reason, policy: policy.id } } } // Default deny return { result: 'DENY', reason: 'No explicit permit policy found', policy: 'default' } } }

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Just-in-Time Access

Privileged Account Security

interface PrivilegedAccountManagement { accountTypes: { administrative: { requirements: ['Executive approval', 'Security team review'] authentication: 'Enhanced MFA with hardware tokens' monitoring: 'Real-time session monitoring' recording: 'Complete session recording' access: 'Just-in-time elevation' } service: { requirements: ['System owner approval', 'Security review'] authentication: 'Certificate-based or API keys' monitoring: 'Automated activity monitoring' rotation: 'Automated credential rotation' storage: 'Secure vault management' } emergency: { requirements: ['Break-glass procedures'] authentication: 'Multi-person authorization' monitoring: 'Immediate alert and review' documentation: 'Complete incident documentation' review: 'Post-incident review required' } } controls: { credentialVault: { technology: 'Enterprise password manager' features: [ 'Automatic password generation', 'Secure credential sharing', 'Access approval workflows', 'Audit logging' ] } sessionManagement: { recording: 'All privileged sessions recorded' monitoring: 'Real-time anomaly detection' controls: 'Session time limits and break-glass' analysis: 'Post-session activity analysis' } } }

Application Access Control

API Security

api_security: authentication: methods: - OAuth 2.0 with PKCE - JWT tokens with RS256 - API keys for service-to-service - mTLS for high-security APIs token_management: access_token_lifetime: "15 minutes" refresh_token_lifetime: "30 days" token_rotation: "Automatic on refresh" revocation: "Immediate revocation support" authorization: scopes: - read:profile - read:transactions - write:transactions - admin:users - admin:system rate_limiting: public_apis: "100 requests/minute" authenticated: "1000 requests/minute" privileged: "10000 requests/minute" endpoint_protection: - Input validation and sanitization - Output filtering based on permissions - Resource-level authorization - Audit logging for sensitive operations

Database Access Control

class DatabaseAccessControl { async enforceRowLevelSecurity(user: User, query: Query): Promise<Query> { const modifiedQuery = query.clone() // Apply data classification filters const classification = await this.getUserDataClassification(user) modifiedQuery.addFilter('data_classification', '<=', classification) // Apply department restrictions if (!user.hasRole('GLOBAL_ACCESS')) { modifiedQuery.addFilter('department', '=', user.department) } // Apply customer data restrictions if (query.touches('customer_data')) { const customers = await this.getAuthorizedCustomers(user) modifiedQuery.addFilter('customer_id', 'IN', customers) } // Apply temporal restrictions if (query.touches('historical_data') && !user.hasPermission('access_historical')) { const cutoff = new Date() cutoff.setMonths(cutoff.getMonths() - 12) modifiedQuery.addFilter('created_at', '>', cutoff) } return modifiedQuery } columnLevelSecurity = { 'customer.ssn': ['COMPLIANCE_OFFICER', 'PRIVACY_OFFICER'], 'customer.bank_account': ['FINANCIAL_ANALYST', 'COMPLIANCE_OFFICER'], 'transaction.details': ['ANALYST', 'COMPLIANCE_OFFICER'], 'employee.salary': ['HR_MANAGER', 'FINANCE_MANAGER'], 'system.secrets': ['SYSTEM_ADMIN', 'SECURITY_ADMIN'] } }

Network Access Control

Zero Trust Architecture

Network Segmentation

network_segments: dmz: description: "Public-facing services" access: "Internet-facing with WAF protection" resources: ["Load balancers", "Web servers", "API gateways"] controls: ["DDoS protection", "Rate limiting", "WAF rules"] application: description: "Internal application servers" access: "Internal network only" resources: ["App servers", "Microservices", "Message queues"] controls: ["Internal firewall", "Service mesh security", "mTLS"] data: description: "Database and storage systems" access: "Database network only" resources: ["Databases", "File storage", "Backup systems"] controls: ["Database firewall", "Encryption", "Access logging"] management: description: "Administrative and monitoring systems" access: "Privileged access only" resources: ["Monitoring", "Logging", "Management tools"] controls: ["VPN access", "MFA required", "Session recording"] secure: description: "High-security systems" access: "Air-gapped or highly restricted" resources: ["Key management", "HSM", "Security tools"] controls: ["Physical access control", "Hardware security", "Auditing"]

Access Reviews and Recertification

Automated Access Reviews

class AccessReviewManager { async conductPeriodicReview(): Promise<ReviewResult> { const reviews = [] // Role-based reviews (quarterly) const roleReviews = await this.reviewRoleAssignments() reviews.push(...roleReviews) // Privileged access reviews (monthly) const privilegedReviews = await this.reviewPrivilegedAccess() reviews.push(...privilegedReviews) // Dormant account reviews (monthly) const dormantReviews = await this.reviewDormantAccounts() reviews.push(...dormantReviews) // Vendor access reviews (quarterly) const vendorReviews = await this.reviewVendorAccess() reviews.push(...vendorReviews) return { totalReviews: reviews.length, approvals: reviews.filter(r => r.status === 'approved').length, revocations: reviews.filter(r => r.status === 'revoked').length, pending: reviews.filter(r => r.status === 'pending').length } } async reviewRoleAssignments(): Promise<Review[]> { const users = await this.getAllUsers() const reviews = [] for (const user of users) { const currentRoles = await this.getUserRoles(user.id) const recommendedRoles = await this.calculateRecommendedRoles(user) if (!this.rolesMatch(currentRoles, recommendedRoles)) { reviews.push({ type: 'role_assignment', user: user.id, current: currentRoles, recommended: recommendedRoles, reviewer: user.managerId, dueDate: this.calculateDueDate('quarterly') }) } } return reviews } }

Certification Workflows

Monitoring and Compliance

Access Control Metrics

access_control_kpis: authentication: success_rate: ">99.5%" mfa_adoption: "100% for privileged accounts" failed_attempts: "<1% of total attempts" lockout_frequency: "Monitor for attack patterns" authorization: policy_violations: "0 per month" unauthorized_access_attempts: "Monitor and investigate all" privilege_escalation_attempts: "0 tolerance" access_review_completion: "100% within SLA" provisioning: new_user_setup_time: "<24 hours" access_modification_time: "<4 hours" deprovisioning_time: "<1 hour for terminations" orphaned_accounts: "0 accounts" compliance: access_review_completion: "100% within deadlines" policy_compliance: ">99%" audit_findings: "<5 per year" remediation_time: "<30 days"

Continuous Monitoring

interface AccessMonitoring { realTimeAlerts: { privilegedAccess: 'Alert on all privileged account usage' failedLogins: 'Alert after 3 failed attempts' unusualPatterns: 'ML-based anomaly detection' policyViolations: 'Immediate alert and block' } periodicReporting: { daily: 'Access activity summary' weekly: 'Access review status' monthly: 'Compliance metrics dashboard' quarterly: 'Executive access report' } auditSupport: { logging: 'Complete access attempt logging' retention: '7 years for compliance' searchability: 'Advanced search and filtering' export: 'Audit-ready report generation' } }

Incident Response

incident_types: unauthorized_access: severity: "Critical" response_time: "15 minutes" actions: - Immediately disable compromised account - Review access logs for scope of breach - Conduct forensic analysis - Notify affected stakeholders - Implement additional monitoring privilege_escalation: severity: "High" response_time: "30 minutes" actions: - Contain escalation attempt - Review system vulnerabilities - Patch security gaps - Enhance monitoring controls - Conduct security assessment insider_threat: severity: "High" response_time: "1 hour" actions: - Coordinate with HR and legal - Preserve evidence - Implement discrete monitoring - Review data access patterns - Plan controlled investigation system_compromise: severity: "Critical" response_time: "Immediate" actions: - Isolate affected systems - Revoke all system access - Implement emergency access procedures - Conduct incident response - Plan system restoration

Integration and Automation

Identity Provider Integration

interface IdentityIntegration { activeDirectory: { synchronization: 'Real-time user/group sync' authentication: 'LDAP/LDAPS' groupMapping: 'AD groups to application roles' passwordPolicy: 'Centralized policy enforcement' } cloudIdentityProviders: { azureAD: 'SAML/OIDC integration' googleWorkspace: 'OAuth 2.0 integration' okta: 'Universal directory integration' auth0: 'Social and enterprise identity' } provisioning: { scim: 'Automated user provisioning' justInTime: 'JIT provisioning for SSO' workflows: 'Custom provisioning workflows' approval: 'Automated approval workflows' } }

Access Control Automation

automation_capabilities: user_lifecycle: onboarding: - HR system integration - Automated role assignment - Welcome email with instructions - Manager notification changes: - Role change detection - Access adjustment workflows - Approval routing - Change notifications offboarding: - Termination trigger detection - Immediate access revocation - Manager handover workflows - Compliance documentation compliance: reviews: - Automated review generation - Approval workflow routing - Escalation handling - Compliance reporting monitoring: - Real-time policy enforcement - Anomaly detection - Risk scoring - Automated remediation

Next Steps

  1. Complete Identity Integration: Finalize SSO and identity provider integration
  2. Deploy PAM Solution: Implement comprehensive privileged access management
  3. Enhance Monitoring: Deploy advanced access monitoring and analytics
  4. Automate Reviews: Implement automated access review workflows
  5. Conduct Training: Train all staff on access control procedures
  6. Perform Assessment: Conduct comprehensive access control audit
  7. Continuous Improvement: Establish ongoing access control enhancement program

Contact Information

Last updated on