What is the purpose of the least privilege principle?

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Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of the least privilege principle?

Least privilege means giving people and processes only the permissions they truly need to do their jobs, and nothing more. By limiting rights to the smallest necessary set, you reduce what can be misused if credentials are compromised or if a mistake is made. For example, a developer might need to deploy code but shouldn’t have access to production databases or system-wide admin rights. This keeps the blast radius small and makes it easier to monitor and enforce security. The other ideas—granting maximum access, logging actions, or restricting access by time—address different controls and don’t capture the goal of minimizing permissions.

Least privilege means giving people and processes only the permissions they truly need to do their jobs, and nothing more. By limiting rights to the smallest necessary set, you reduce what can be misused if credentials are compromised or if a mistake is made. For example, a developer might need to deploy code but shouldn’t have access to production databases or system-wide admin rights. This keeps the blast radius small and makes it easier to monitor and enforce security. The other ideas—granting maximum access, logging actions, or restricting access by time—address different controls and don’t capture the goal of minimizing permissions.

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