Granular Access Control: Customizable User Permissions and Two-factor Authentication in Virtual Data Room Software

Granular Access Control: Customizable User Permissions and Two-factor Authentication in Virtual Data Room Software

Today, the protection of digital data rooms is paid no less attention than their functionality. With the spread of mobile access to corporate systems, new risks arise, but the information security industry can respond to these challenges. Here is more about data room security features that ensure granular access control.

How to secure data access in a virtual data room?

Increasingly more stringent security requirements for electronic document management systems continue to be put forward. One requirement is to exclude unauthorized access to the virtual data rooms. As a rule, a username (login) and a password are used to enter the system. Having received the username and password entered by the user, the computer compares them with the value stored in a particular database (usually in encrypted form). It lets the user into the system in case of a match. This method is called password authentication.

Access control technologies, such as role models, labeling, and encryption, allow companies to create a level of security that meets the organization’s requirements and improves the system’s efficiency and usability. We can expect even more growth and development in this area with the development of technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain.

In the virtual data room software, digital documents are marked as restricted concerning copying, printing, downloading, or viewing. There are restrictions on certain parts of documents that may include conditional limits. The right of a legal professional to download only legal documents but not financial documents. Viewing conditions may apply to sensitive documents only available during a second round of due diligence.

Document access control in a data room

There are several ways to control access to documents in data room systems. One of the most common is the role-based access control model. It is based on assigning specific roles to users and groups of users and granting them the appropriate level of access to documents. For example, a system administrator may be given full access to all documents, while an ordinary employee may be allowed to read only certain documents.

Another way to control access to documents is through labels. This method assigns unique labels to documents that determine their access level. For example, documents labeled “confidential” may only be available to specific groups of users, while documents marked “public” may be accessible to everyone.

Rights in the data room can be assigned to users, work groups, performer roles, and department employees. It is implemented through a number of the following settings:

  • folder permissions
  • powers
  • access policies
  • working groups.

To not reconfigure rights for each user, it is recommended to configure access for departments, workgroups, and roles. It will eliminate the need to change rights again when an employee is dismissed or transferred.

Two-factor authentication: how does it work?

Two-factor authentication is the most common form of multi-factor authentication, making it ideal for use when multiple people need access to data. The meaning of two-factor authentication is that to get to the system, the user must confirm his account in different ways.

Authenticators and authentication tokens fall into four main categories:

  • What you have. Physical access card, smartphone or another device, digital certificate.
  • What you know. PIN or password.
  • Who you are. Biometric data, such as fingerprints or retinal scans.

The classic combination of username and password is a rudimentary form of two-factor authentication. But since the username and password fall into the “what you know” category, this combination is easier to compromise. The data room checks the first authentication factor, and some third-party service is used to work with the second authentication factor – the provider of the second authentication factor (provider).

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