Policy Based Access Control (PBAC) is gaining popularity as a more advanced and flexible authorization and access control system compared to traditional methods like Access Control List (ALC) and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). PBAC combines the strengths of these older models while addressing their limitations.
RBAC, although existing for over 30 years, is complex and inflexible. It relies on static access control based on grouped permissions, leading to difficulties in managing changing user roles and resulting in a “role explosion” problem as organizations grow. On the other hand, Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) provides finer-grained access controls based on attributes but is considered highly technical and localized.
PBAC takes the best of both RBAC and ABAC approaches and makes it accessible and visible. It supports both roles and attributes, allowing for more restricted access control and management capabilities. PBAC also enables policies to be coded in plain language, bridging the gap between application owners and developers.
There are several reasons why organizations should consider PBAC. Firstly, it provides efficient authorization control management by centralizing access restrictions through policy-based procedures, reducing complexity, and maintaining consistency across systems. Secondly, PBAC simplifies the development lifecycle by treating policies as code, making version control, testing, and deployment easier, leading to improved agility and faster application time to market.
Additionally, PBAC enables real-time authorization decisions based on contextual information, considering factors such as qualities, resource features, and environmental variables. This dynamic approach ensures highly granular access control. Lastly, PBAC improves visibility by providing insight into the reasons behind access decisions. This transparency enhances accountability, aids in auditing, compliance, and governance activities, and facilitates better decision-making.
In conclusion, PBAC is a significant milestone in authorization controls, offering benefits such as efficient management, simplified development, real-time decision-making, and enhanced visibility. Its implementation strengthens security posture and ensures seamless access management. As the cybersecurity landscape evolves, PBAC demonstrates the continual innovation necessary to combat future threats.
Key points:
– Policy Based Access Control (PBAC) is replacing traditional access control methods like ALC and RBAC.
– PBAC combines the strengths of RBAC and ABAC while addressing their limitations.
– PBAC provides efficient authorization control management, simplifies the development lifecycle, enables real-time decision-making, and enhances visibility.
– Implementing PBAC strengthens security posture and ensures seamless access management.
– PBAC demonstrates the continual innovation required to combat future cybersecurity threats.