What does the separation of duties aim to achieve?

The separation of duties is primarily aimed at reducing risk by ensuring that critical tasks are divided among multiple individuals. This principle is designed to prevent any single individual from having excessive control over any one aspect of a process, thus mitigating the risk of fraud, error, or misuse of authority. By distributing responsibilities, it becomes more challenging for one person to carry out malicious activities without collusion from others.

For instance, in a financial setting, the person who processes payments should not be the same person who approves them. By having distinct roles, organizations can implement checks and balances that enhance security and accountability, making it significantly harder for fraudulent activities to occur undetected.

While defining user roles is important in a security context and can contribute to clarity in responsibilities, it does not directly address the risk management goal inherent to the separation of duties. Centralizing control can actually increase risk, as it places authority and access in the hands of fewer individuals. Lastly, accelerating the processing of requests is not a goal of separation of duties; in fact, this principle may add complexity, potentially leading to slower processes due to the necessary checks involved.