# NIST800 171 3.1.6 — Least Privilege - Privileged Accounts

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/a_gen_nist800171_316_7764769e8b-nist800-171-316-least-privilege-privileged-accounts
- Section: [Solutions](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions) › [NIST SP 800-171 Readiness](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/c_gen_nist800171) › [Access Control](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/folders/f_gen_cgennist800171_accesscontrol)
- Last updated: 2026-05-30
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

NIST800 171 · Control 3.1.6 · Priority: critical · Component: Access Control

### What this control covers

This control restricts privileged accounts to specific personnel or roles and requires users with privileged accounts to use non-privileged accounts for non-security tasks. This ensures that only authorized individuals have access to security functions or sensitive information, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access or misuse of privileged capabilities. This control supports the Privileged Access Management System capability within the Access Control (3.1) family.

### Why it matters

Risk is the language an executive team understands; this control connects technical reality to board-level decisions and budget allocation.

### How to implement

#### AWS

Codify the policy intent as **SCPs, AWS Config conformance packs, and Security Hub standards** so the cloud enforces what the document says.

#### Azure

Codify in **Azure Policy initiatives** (built-in regulatory compliance for CIS, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA) and assign at management-group level.

#### GCP

Use **Cloud Identity** (or Workspace) as the IdP and **IAM** for resource access. Grant roles at the lowest scope (project > folder > org) using **Workload Identity Federation** for CI/CD and **service accounts** for workloads — never download service-account keys when avoidable. Enable **Policy Intelligence** recommenders to right-size privileges and detect dormant identities.

#### Google Workspace

Enforce **2-Step Verification** (preferably hardware keys for admins) for the entire org, set session length to ≤ 12 hours, and disable less-secure-app access. Use **Context-Aware Access** levels to restrict admin sign-in by IP/device posture. Provision and de-provision users via **SCIM** from your HRIS so leavers lose access on day one.

#### GitHub

Require **SSO + SCIM** from your IdP on the organisation; enforce **2FA** org-wide and use **fine-grained PATs** (or, better, GitHub Apps) instead of classic tokens. Restrict **outside collaborators**, require signed commits on protected branches, and use **OIDC** from Actions to short-lived AWS/GCP/Azure credentials rather than stored secrets.

#### Zoho Mail

Make **two-factor authentication** mandatory for all users (TOTP, OneAuth, or YubiKey) in _Admin Console → Security_. Configure **SAML SSO** against your IdP and disable password-based logins for admins. Use **role-based privileges** (Admin / Spam Moderator / Mail Account Admin) and review the _Login history_ report monthly for anomalies.

#### On-premises

Maintain a policy library with a documented review cadence (annual minimum); store in your GRC tool with attestation tracking. Map each policy to controls so an audit pull cites the exact policy clause.

### Evidence to collect

-   `identity_scan` — See the iCompaas Evidence library for the canonical source for this evidence type.
-   `infra_scan` — See the iCompaas Evidence library for the canonical source for this evidence type.

Identity analytics (Okta, SailPoint, Access Analyzer) demonstrates least-privilege. Focus: Least Privilege - Privileged Accounts.

### Quick checklist

-   Access — Management / Privilege
-   Information — Management / Privilege
-   Least — Management / Privilege
-   Access Control — Management / Privilege
-   Authorized — Management / Privilege
-   System — Management / Privilege

### Related articles on this site

-   [NIST 800-171 3.1.5 Employ the principle of least privilege, including for specific security functions and privileged accounts.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229227-nist-800-171-3-1-5-employ-the-principle-of-least-privilege-including-for-specific-security-functions)
-   [CMMC 2.0 AC.2.007 Employ the principle of least privilege, including for specific security functions and privileged accounts.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229388-cmmc-2-0-ac-2-007-employ-the-principle-of-least-privilege-including-for-specific-security-functions-)
-   [Ensure Access Review is Set Up for External Users in Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229788-ensure-access-review-is-set-up-for-external-users-in-azure-ad-privileged-identity-management-pim)
-   [Ensure that 'Multi-Factor Auth Status' is 'Enabled' for all Non-Privileged Users](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000219680-ensure-that-multi-factor-auth-status-is-enabled-for-all-non-privileged-users)

## Related compliance guidance

- [NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC: a practical guide to protecting CUI in the cloud](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3): The CUI requirements CMMC Level 2 assesses, the SPRS score, POA&M rules and the phased DFARS rollout.
- [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: a practical implementation guide for cloud teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5): The federal catalogue 800-171 is derived from — useful when a contract also cites a FedRAMP baseline.