DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14772305
title: Cloud Access Control Parameter Management

description: Access control evaluation in a networking cloud architecture is influenced by a variety of factors that determine how securely and effectively resources are accessed and managed. Here are 50 factors that affect access control evaluation:



Authentication Mechanisms: Type and strength of user authentication (e.g., MFA, SSO, biometric).

Authorization Models: RBAC (Role-Based Access Control), ABAC (Attribute-Based Access Control), or other models.

User Identity Management: How user identities are managed and verified across systems.

Access Levels: Differentiation between read, write, modify, and admin privileges.

User Roles: Specific permissions associated with different user roles in the system.

Security Policies: Defined security policies governing who can access what data.

Compliance Requirements: Regulatory compliance (GDPR, HIPAA) affecting access control configurations.

User Session Management: How long user sessions last and session expiration policies.

Privileged Access Management: Managing elevated access privileges for critical system components.

Third-Party Integrations: Access control policies for third-party tools and applications integrated into the system.

Cloud Service Provider (CSP) Policies: CSP-specific access control mechanisms (AWS IAM, GCP IAM, etc.).

Geolocation Restrictions: Access restrictions based on geographical location of the user.

Time-Based Access: Access control based on time of day or specific time windows.

User Behavior Analytics: Using behavioral patterns to identify and restrict anomalous access attempts.

Network Security Controls: Firewalls, VPNs, and segmentation impacting access control policies.

Access Control Lists (ACLs): Network ACLs managing inbound/outbound traffic.

Encryption Policies: Ensuring data is encrypted both at rest and in transit to prevent unauthorized access.

Data Sensitivity Classification: Classification of data to impose stricter access controls based on sensitivity.

Logging and Monitoring: Real-time access logging to detect and respond to unauthorized access attempts.

Security Groups: Virtual firewall rules for controlling traffic to and from instances in the cloud.

Identity Federation: Integration of external identity providers (Azure AD, Okta, etc.) for access control.

Least Privilege Principle: Ensuring users only have the minimum access needed for their roles.

Access Control Propagation: How access permissions propagate through cloud resources and services.

API Access Control: Policies controlling access to cloud APIs and services.

Cloud Workload Identity: How cloud workloads authenticate and authorize access to resources.

Audit Trails: Comprehensive auditing for access control to ensure accountability and compliance.

Access Revocation: Policies on promptly revoking access when roles or permissions change.

Cross-Region Access: Managing access control across cloud regions and data centers.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP): DLP policies affecting access to sensitive data.

Multi-Tenancy Security: Ensuring proper segregation of access control in multi-tenant environments.

Cloud Orchestration Layer Security: Managing access to orchestration platforms like Kubernetes.

Token-based Access Control: Use of tokens (OAuth, JWT) for securing API calls and session management.

Access Control Policies for Serverless: Security and access control for serverless functions.

Granular Access Control: Fine-grained permissions for specific cloud resources.

Cloud Native Directory Services: Use of services like AWS Directory Service for managing user access.

Access to Logs and Monitoring Tools: Controlling who can view or manage logs, dashboards, and monitoring tools.

Custom Access Control Policies: Tailored access control mechanisms beyond built-in cloud tools.

Zero Trust Architecture: Implementing zero trust principles in access control.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Managing and enforcing access control through infrastructure as code scripts.

Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Controls: VPC-specific access control rules and boundaries.

Segmentation of Duties: Separation of access privileges across different roles to reduce risk.

Instance Metadata Service (IMDS) Access: Controlling access to instance metadata in the cloud.

Shared Responsibility Model: Understanding the shared security responsibilities between the cloud provider and customer.

Cloud Storage Access Policies: Controlling access to cloud storage (e.g., S3 buckets, Azure Blob).

Data Governance Framework: Governance policies that define how data access is controlled and audited.

API Gateway Security: Secure API gateways enforcing access policies to backend services.

Dynamic Access Management: Automatically adjusting access based on real-time risk assessments.

Account Lockout Policies: Procedures to lock accounts after repeated failed access attempts.

Access to Sensitive Compute Resources: Controlling access to sensitive resources like databases and key management systems (KMS).

Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessments: Regular testing and evaluation of access control mechanisms to identify weaknesses.


These factors collectively impact the overall security and effectiveness of access control in cloud networking architectures.