The Challenge of Permissions and Non-Human Identities – Why Managing Credentials Takes Longer Than You Think

With the increasing demands on IT security, companies are increasingly confronted with the problem of secret propagation and machine identities. One of the greatest security risks remains non-human identity - and the associated authorizations and access keys, which are often spread too widely and remain unnoticed for a long time.

Why does the rotation take so long?

Rotating login information, such as changing key pairs or access codes, should be easy in theory. But companies often find that this process can take weeks. A key reason for this is the lack of overview of assigned authorizations. Many companies do not have a clear overview of which services or machines require which authorizations.

Who is responsible for the spread of secrets?

The question of responsibility for lost access keys or overly broad permissions often remains unclear. Secret propagation - the unexpected spread of credentials across different development environments - is often defined as the task of the IT security team. But developers also play a central role in properly documenting their permissions and acting according to proven security standards.

Who is responsible for the spread of secrets?

The question of responsibility for lost access keys or overly broad permissions often remains unclear. Secret propagation - the unexpected spread of credentials across different development environments - is often defined as the task of the IT security team. But developers also play a central role in properly documenting their permissions and acting according to proven security standards.

The influence of developers on permissions

Developers are under constant pressure to develop and release new features as quickly as possible. This means that the setup of permissions that require strict security management is often inadequate. The result: overly broad permissions for machine identities that go far beyond what is actually needed.

Why can't security teams alone solve this problem?

While it may be tempting to leave too narrow a definition of permissions to security teams, their knowledge of the specific requirements of each project is often insufficient. Understanding which access rights are critical is often left to developers, so both teams must work together to ensure that secure but viable access is maintained.

A common model for the responsibility of secrets

A shared responsibility model – where developers and security teams work together to manage access permissions – could be the answer. Developers should create detailed documentation of necessary permissions despite time pressures, while IT departments provide better tools for securing and monitoring.

Important questions about permissions

When documenting and managing permissions, the following questions should always be considered:

  1. Who created the credentials?
  2. What resources do they access?
  3. What permissions do they grant?
  4. How are they revoked or reversed?
  5. Are they still active?

Conclusion

Authorization management has its challenges, but these can be addressed together. Close collaboration between developers and the IT security team is crucial to efficiently prevent secret propagation and resolve security incidents faster.

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