Benefits of Authorization

What are the benefits of authorization?

Asked by Nancy on June 25, 2025

1 Answers

Authorization ensures that only legitimate users or entities can access specific resources, preventing unauthorized access. For instance, a university student authorized to view their own grades should not be able to view other students' grades.
It allows for the enforcement of the principle of least privilege, which dictates that users should only have the minimum access rights necessary to perform their tasks. A good example is a help desk employee who can reset passwords but cannot modify user account details. This minimizes the potential damage from accidental errors or malicious activities, as described in Guide to Computer Network Security.
Authorization helps maintain data confidentiality, integrity, and availability by controlling who can read, modify, or delete information. Without it, sensitive data could be exposed or corrupted, as highlighted by Differentiating Between Access Control Terms.
It provides a framework for auditing and accountability, as access decisions are recorded, allowing administrators to track who accessed what resources and when. This is crucial for incident response and compliance.
Authorization simplifies administration in large systems by allowing permissions to be granted based on roles or attributes rather than individual users, such as in Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). For example, all users in the "HR Manager" role automatically get access to employee records, as discussed in An Introduction to Role-based Access Control.

Jude - June 25, 2025

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