Roles and Permissions

Conducky uses a unified Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) system that provides granular permissions across system, organization, and event scopes. This system ensures security while enabling flexible management of users and access.

Role Hierarchy and Inheritance

The unified RBAC system operates on three scopes with role inheritance:

System Scope

• System Admin: Global administrative access to all organizations and events
  • Can create and manage organizations
  • Has access to all events across all organizations (with explicit role assignment)
  • Can perform system-level administrative tasks
  • Cannot access event data without explicit event roles

Organization Scope

• Organization Admin: Full administrative control within their organization
  • Can create and manage events within their organization
  • Inherits event admin permissions for all events in their organization
  • Can manage organization members and settings
  • Can invite users to the organization
• Organization Viewer: Read-only access to organization information
  • Can view organization details and event list
  • No administrative permissions

Event Scope

• Event Admin: Full administrative control within a specific event
  • Can manage event settings and participants
  • Can manage all incident reports for their event
  • Can assign roles to other users within the event
  • Can view all incident types and sensitive information
• Responder: Can respond to and manage incident reports
  • Can view and respond to assigned incident reports
  • Can update incident status and add internal comments
  • Can view reporter contact information when needed
• Reporter: Can submit and view their own incident reports
  • Can submit new incident reports
  • Can view and comment on their own reports
  • Can view public updates on their reports

Role Inheritance Rules

The system implements intelligent role inheritance to simplify management:

1. System Admins have full system access but need explicit event roles to access event data
2. Organization Admins automatically inherit event admin permissions for all events in their organization
3. Organization Viewers have read-only access to their organization's events
4. Event roles are specific to individual events unless inherited from organization level

Permission Matrix

System-Level Permissions

Action	System Admin	Org Admin	Org Viewer	Event Admin	Responder	Reporter
Create Organizations	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Manage System Settings	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
View All Organizations	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
System-wide Audit Logs	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌

Organization-Level Permissions

Action	System Admin*	Org Admin	Org Viewer	Event Admin	Responder	Reporter
Create Events	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Manage Organization Settings	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
View Organization Details	❌	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
Manage Organization Members	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Organization Invite Links	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌

*System Admins need explicit organization roles to access organization data

Event-Level Permissions

Action	System Admin*	Org Admin**	Org Viewer**	Event Admin	Responder	Reporter
View All Reports	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅***	❌
Create Reports	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅
Edit Any Report	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅***	❌
Delete Reports	❌	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌
Assign Reports	❌	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌
Change Report Status	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅***	❌
View Reporter Details	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅***	❌
Manage Event Settings	❌	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌
Manage Event Users	❌	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌
Create Invite Links	❌	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌
Add Internal Comments	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅	❌
View Internal Comments	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅	❌

*System Admins need explicit event roles to access event data
**Organization Admins inherit Event Admin permissions for their organization's events
***Responders can only access reports assigned to them or public reports

Special Permission Rules

Data Isolation

• Event Data Isolation: All incident data is strictly scoped to specific events
• Organization Boundaries: Users cannot access data outside their assigned organizations
• Cross-Event Access: Users must have explicit roles in multiple events to access them

Reporter Permissions

• Own Reports: Reporters can always view and comment on their own reports
• Assigned Reports: If a reporter is assigned to investigate another report, they gain responder-level access to that specific report
• Anonymous Reports: Anonymous reporters cannot edit reports after submission

System Admin Limitations

• Explicit Access Required: System Admins cannot access organization or event data without explicit role assignment
• Audit Logging: All System Admin actions are extensively logged
• Separation of Duties: System administration is separated from operational event management

Role Assignment

Assignment Levels

1. System Level: Only other System Admins can assign system roles
2. Organization Level: Organization Admins can assign organization and event roles within their organization
3. Event Level: Event Admins can assign event roles within their specific events

Assignment Rules

• Users can have multiple roles across different scopes
• Higher-level roles can assign lower-level roles within their scope
• Role assignments can have optional expiration dates
• All role changes are logged for audit purposes

Invite Links

• Organization Admins can create invite links that automatically assign organization or event roles
• Event Admins can create invite links for their specific events
• Invite links can be time-limited and have usage limits

Security Considerations

Access Control

• All API endpoints enforce role-based permissions
• UI elements are hidden based on user permissions
• Database queries are automatically scoped by user permissions

Audit Logging

• All role assignments and changes are logged
• Permission checks are logged for security monitoring
• Failed access attempts are tracked and monitored

Data Privacy

• Users can only access data within their permitted scope
• Reporter contact information is protected based on role permissions
• Internal comments are isolated from reporters unless explicitly shared

Managing Roles

For System Admins

1. Access Admin → Organizations to manage organization roles
2. Use System Settings to assign system-level roles
3. Monitor role assignments through audit logs

For Organization Admins

1. Access Organization Settings → Members to manage organization roles
2. Create invite links for new organization members
3. Manage event roles for events within your organization

For Event Admins

1. Access Event Settings → Team to manage event roles
2. Create event-specific invite links
3. Assign responder roles to team members

Best Practices

Role Assignment

• Principle of Least Privilege: Assign the minimum role necessary for users to perform their duties
• Regular Review: Periodically review role assignments and remove unnecessary access
• Temporary Access: Use expiration dates for temporary role assignments
• Documentation: Document why specific roles were assigned for audit purposes

Security

• Multi-Factor Authentication: Require MFA for admin-level roles
• Regular Monitoring: Monitor role assignment changes and access patterns
• Incident Response: Have procedures for rapidly revoking access when needed
• Training: Ensure users understand their permissions and responsibilities

Organization Management

• Clear Hierarchy: Maintain clear organizational structure with appropriate role inheritance
• Delegation: Use organization roles to delegate management responsibilities effectively
• Backup Admins: Ensure multiple people have necessary administrative access
• Cross-Training: Train backup administrators on role management procedures

Related Documentation

• Organization Management
• System Configuration
• User Management
• API Authentication