administrative privilege

A level of access permission granted to an account that authorizes the holder to perform control, configuration, and administration functions on a system — such as installing software, modifying security settings, managing other accounts, or altering system behavior — that are withheld from standard users. Users who require administrative privileges on system accounts receive additional scrutiny by personnel responsible for approving such accounts and privileged access. Because IT personnel with administrative privileges can affect the security posture of an entire system, the field treats the expression as an authorization category subject to least-privilege controls, heightened authentication requirements, and continuous monitoring; administrative privileges are often required for malware to execute, making their governance a primary attack-surface concern. Users requiring administrative privileges on system accounts receive additional scrutiny by organizational personnel responsible for approving such accounts and privileged access, including system owner, mission or business owner, senior agency information security officer, or senior agency official for privacy.

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