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All glossary terms

Credentials & security

Least privilege

Least privilege is the practice of granting an identity or component only the permissions needed for its defined task. Permissions should be scoped by action, resource, and context where possible, then reviewed as responsibilities change.

Also known as principle of least privilege.

Why it matters in practice

Narrow permissions can reduce the impact of mistakes or compromised credentials, but they require an accurate view of what a workflow needs. Teams should validate the policy with representative actions and ensure there is a safe process for exceptions. Least privilege is a design principle, not a one-time configuration label.

Example

A worker receives access to one test service credential instead of permission to read every secret in the organization.

Educational note

This definition is general information, not legal advice. It may omit facts that matter to a specific situation and does not establish or guarantee compliance.