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VUN1 — VUN1 Task 1: Managing Security Operations and Access Controls
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Information Systems Security - C845 hq hq hq hq
A. Apply an Access Control Model hq hq hq hq
A.1. Chosen Access Control Model hq hq hq
I have chosen the Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) model. The principles of RBAC are:
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• Role Assignment: A user is assigned to a role based on their job function (e.g.,
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"Finance Analyst").
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• Permission Assignment: Permissions to perform operations on systems are assigned to
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roles, not to individual users.
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• Session Management: A user activates a role to gain the associated permissions for a session.
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• Least Privilege: Users should only have the minimum level of access necessary to perform
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their job duties.
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The organization's access control structure, as seen in the user matrix, is implicitly role-based (e.g.,
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"Finance manager," "HR coordinator"). Applying a formal RBAC model would streamline this by ensuring
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permissions are strictly tied to business functions, reducing complexity and the potential for user
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error when assigning permissions.
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A.2. Four Misalignments with RBAC Principles h q h q h q h q
1. Misalignment 1: Privilege Escalation Beyond Role Scope hq hq hq hq hq hq
• Description: The "Junior system admin" (J. Lopez) has "Domain admin" privileges. hq hq hq hq hq hq hq hq hq hq
A junior role should not have the highest level of access in a Windows
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environment. hq
• Conflict with RBAC: This violates the principle of least privilege. The role "Junior
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system admin" implies a subset of administrative duties, not unrestricted domain-
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wide control. hq
2. Misalignment 2: Unnecessary Access Across Departments hq hq hq hq hq
• Description: The "Finance analyst" (L. Cheng) has "Full access" to the CRM, a system hq hq hq hq hq hq hq hq hq hq hq hq hq
primarily for Sales and Support. A finance role typically does not require full
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modification rights in a customer relationship system.
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• Conflict with RBAC: This violates least privilege and separation of duties. It allows
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• potential data manipulation outside the user's core business function.
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3. Misalignment 3: Violation of User-Role Assignment Post-Termination
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• Description: The "HR assistant" (P. Ellis), who was terminated on 2025-05-20, has
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an "Active" account status and successfully logged in on 2025-06-29.
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• Conflict with RBAC: RBAC requires timely revocation of role assignments upon a
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change in employment status. An active session for a terminated user completely
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bypasses the security provided by the role structure.
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4. Misalignment 4: Overly Broad Privileged Access
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• Description: The "IT administrator" (T. Miller) has "Full admin" access to "All
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internal systems," and the log shows they made a firewall rule change without
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a ticket_id.
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• Conflict with RBAC: While some access is necessary, blanket "Full admin" access
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, violates least privilege and impedes accountability. It does not segment duties within the
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IT department itself.
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