Compliance by Design: IT Controls that Work

CHAPTER 3: OBJECTIVES

Down the rabbit hole

Early on in Alice in Wonderland, the protagonist finds herself trapped in a hallway of locked doors⁴. She chances upon a tiny key that unlocks a little door behind a low curtain.

In reality, we have learned to live with multiple keys. We log into our enterprise networks with our domain accounts, our applications or systems, with our assigned application or system accounts. We sometimes forget which key unlocks which door; a frantic call to help desk ensues. To complicate matters, each key expires at a different interval, each its own clock ticking away in the rabbit’s waistcoat pocket.

All, albeit some better than others, support the overall objective of restricting access to authorized personnel. In ...