Benefits:

Reduced Risk: Separating user and system management functions minimizes the chance of accidental or malicious changes to critical system configurations. If a user account with limited privileges is compromised, the attacker's ability to disrupt or damage the system is significantly reduced.

Enhanced Auditing: By having distinct accounts for different functionalities, it becomes easier to track and analyze user activity. This improved audit trail helps identify suspicious behavior and potential security incidents.

Stronger Security Posture: This control promotes the principle of least privilege, granting users only the permissions they absolutely need to perform their tasks. This minimizes the attack surface and makes it more difficult for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities.

Accountability:

Senior Management: Establishing and enforcing the principle of least privilege, ensuring adequate resources are allocated for security, and holding individuals accountable for upholding security policies. Responsibility: Overseeing the implementation and effectiveness of control 3.13.3, advocating for a culture of security awareness, and providing guidance and support to ensure compliance.

IT Security Team: Implementing and maintaining technical controls to separate user and system management functionalities, monitoring and auditing user activity, and investigating potential security incidents. Responsibility: Developing and implementing procedures for user access management, conducting security assessments, and providing training and guidance to users and system owners.

System Owners: Identifying and classifying systems under their purview, understanding the security requirements for those systems, and ensuring compliance with control 3.13.3. Responsibility: Implementing appropriate access controls for their systems, reporting security vulnerabilities, and cooperating with the IT security team during investigations.

Individual Users: Utilizing assigned user accounts responsibly, adhering to security policies and procedures, and reporting suspicious activity. Responsibility: Choosing strong passwords, keeping them confidential, and avoiding unauthorized access attempts to systems or data.

Implementation:

Separate Accounts: Implement separate accounts for regular users and system administrators. This ensures that everyday tasks are performed with minimal privileges, and administrative activities require explicit authorization.

Least Privilege: Grant only the minimum set of permissions necessary for each user or role to fulfill their responsibilities. This reduces the potential damage caused by compromised accounts.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Implement RBAC to assign permissions based on user roles and responsibilities. This ensures that users only have access to the resources and functionalities they need for their designated tasks.

Monitoring and Auditing: Regularly monitor and audit system activity for unusual or suspicious behavior. This can help detect potential security incidents and identify unauthorized access attempts.