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privileged user

nouncandidate·updated May 9, 2026

A user that is authorized (and, therefore, trusted) to perform security-relevant functions that ordinary users are not authorized to perform.

Framework senses

NIST Cybersecurity Framework1 senseview framework →
§1
Any user account with greater than basic access privileges. Typically, these accounts have elevated or increased privileges with more rights than a standard user account. However, the extent of privileges across different privileged accounts can vary greatly depending on the organization, job function or role, and the technology in use.
NISTIR 7298: Glossary of Key Information Security Terms, Revision 21 senseview framework →
§1
A user that is authorized (and, therefore, trusted) to perform security-relevant functions that ordinary users are not authorized to perform.
CNSSI-4009 (Glossary of Information Assurance Terms)1 senseview framework →
§1
A user that is authorized (and, therefore, trusted) to perform security-relevant functions that ordinary users are not authorized to perform.
NIST SP 800-531 senseview framework →
§1
A user that is authorized (and, therefore, trusted) to perform security-relevant functions that ordinary users are not authorized to perform.