glossary
What is least privilege?
Least privilege is the security principle that users and processes should be granted only the minimum access needed to do their assigned tasks — nothing more.
Use the 3-question Fit CheckLeast privilege is the security principle that users and processes should be granted only the minimum access needed to do their assigned tasks — nothing more.
What it means
NIST describes least privilege as restricting access rights to the minimum necessary to accomplish a task. Limiting permissions reduces how much damage a mistake or a compromised account can cause. It is a core idea behind identity and access management, zero trust, and audit findings about over-permissioned accounts.
Core source records
This table lists the page’s core content records and when they were checked. Claim-specific citations appear beside the relevant text and may not be repeated here.
| ID | Supports | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIT-01 | Definition source for What is least privilege? | National Institute of Standards and Technology — NIST CSRC Glossary | 2026-06-15 |
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