What is the main objective of proper separation of duties?
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The primary objective of proper separation of duties is to ensure that one person acting alone cannot compromise the company's security in any way.
A proper separation of duties does not prevent employees from disclosing information, nor does it ensure that access controls are in place or that audit trails are not tampered with.
Source: HARRIS, Shon, All-In-One CISSP Certification Exam Guide, McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2002, Chapter 12: Operations Security (Page 808).
The main objective of proper separation of duties is to ensure that no single individual can compromise a system. This means that key tasks and responsibilities related to a particular system or process are divided among different individuals or groups, so that no one person has the ability to perform all critical functions related to that system or process.
The concept of separation of duties is important in the field of information security, as it helps to mitigate the risk of insider threats and unauthorized access to sensitive information or systems. By dividing critical functions among multiple individuals or groups, the likelihood of an individual being able to misuse their access or authority is reduced, as they would need to collude with others to carry out malicious activities.
For example, a company might separate the duties of system administration and network administration, ensuring that no single person has the ability to control both aspects of the network. Similarly, financial institutions often separate the duties of approving and authorizing financial transactions, with different individuals responsible for each function.
Proper separation of duties can also help ensure that audit trails are not tampered with. By having multiple individuals responsible for different aspects of a system or process, it becomes more difficult for any one individual to manipulate or falsify audit logs.
In summary, the main objective of proper separation of duties is to minimize the risk of unauthorized access or misuse of sensitive information or systems, by dividing critical functions among multiple individuals or groups.