Every component should hold only the minimum authority its function requires.
Saltzer and Schroeder's 1975 principle. Distinct from the rule of least power, which is about expressiveness; this is about authority, and it is why modern systems scope credentials narrowly.
In practice
- A support tool given full database access for one report retains it for four years.
- A contractor's building pass that opens every door because issuing a limited one required a form.
- Further reading
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- Subject
- Technology & Software
- Essay
- Design rules that engineers pass down