SOC 2 CC6.3: Logical and Physical Access - Role-Based Access and Least Privilege

Start by defining and documenting access roles for every in-scope application and system. Each role should map to a job function and spell out exactly what permissions it grants. Get system owners to sign off on these role definitions. Default to the minimum access required for each role. When someone requests access beyond their standard role, require a written business justification and approval from the relevant data or system owner. Track every exception. Map out your segregation of duties requirements. Identify which combinations of access could enable fraud or significant errors - think creating and approving transactions, modifying code and deploying to production, or setting up vendor records and processing payments. Enforce these separations in your systems where possible. Where you can't enforce them technically, put detective controls in place (monitoring, review logs, management sign-off). Run regular access reviews - quarterly for privileged access, semi-annually for everything else at minimum. Have managers or system owners validate whether each person's access still matches their current role. Document the review, any changes made, and who signed off. Build a process for role changes specifically. When someone moves teams, that should trigger a full review - not just adding new permissions on top of old ones. Remove access that's no longer relevant. Monitor for anomalous access patterns. Log privileged operations and review those logs. Automated tooling that flags SoD violations, unused privileges, and access anomalies will save you significant time.