What is the Principle of Least Privilege?

What is the Principle of Least Privilege?

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The Principle of Least Privilege states that a user should never be given more privileges than are required to carry out a task. A user should not be logged on as an administrator, if the user is not doing administrative work on a computer. The administrator account should be used for performing tasks such as changing system time, installing software, or creating standard accounts. Users should not use administrator's privilege for two reasons:

• If a user leaves a computer unattended while logged on as an administrator, an unauthorized person could access the computer before it times out and could make critical changes.


• A user logged on as an administrator can do more harm if he accidentally launches a destructive virus or malware than if he is logged on as a standard user.

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