CrowdStrike Falcon RBAC Guide: User Roles, Permissions & Least Privilege Access

CrowdStrike Falcon allows administrators to assign custom roles and permissions to users, ensuring least privilege access and role-based security management. By properly configuring user roles, organizations can control access to security settings, investigations, and threat response actions.

This guide explains how to create, assign, and manage user roles in the Falcon Console.

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Step 1: Log Into the Falcon Console

- Open a browser and go to the CrowdStrike console. There are two possibilities:

• https://falcon.crowdstrike.com.

• https://falcon.us-2.crowdstrike.com/

• Sign in using your admin credentials.

• In the left-hand menu, navigate to Settings > Users & Roles.

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Step 2: Review Default Roles in CrowdStrike

CrowdStrike Falcon provides several predefined roles that can be assigned to users:

**Role Name**	**Permissions**
**Administrator**	Full access to all settings, sensors, and API integration.
**Analyst**	Read-only access to detections, reports, and activity monitoring.
**Investigator**	Ability to access and analyze threat intelligence but not modify policies.
**Responder**	Can **contain hosts**, remove threats, and initiate real-time response.
**Sensor Manager**	Manage sensor deployments and configurations.

📌 **Tip:** If none of the default roles meet your needs, you can create a **custom role**.

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Step 3: Create a Custom User Role

- In **Users & Roles**, click the **Roles** tab. - Click **Create Role**. - Enter a **Role Name** and **Description**. - Select the **permissions** the role should have:

• Read-Only (View detections and reports but cannot take action).

• Standard (Manage endpoints and respond to threats).

• Full Access (Modify policies, containment, and sensor settings).

• Click Save Role.

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Step 4: Assign a Role to a User

- Go to **Users & Roles > Users**. - Click **Invite User** (or edit an existing user). - Enter the user's **email address** and select their **role**. - Assign **specific permissions** (if applicable). - Click **Send Invitation**.

📌 **Note:** The user will receive an email to complete their registration in the Falcon Console.

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Step 5: Modify or Remove a User Role

- In **Users & Roles > Roles**, locate the role you want to modify. - Click **Edit** to adjust permissions. - To delete a role, click **Delete Role** (cannot be undone).

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Best Practices for Role Management

Principle of Least Privilege

Always assign the minimum permissions necessary for users to perform their job functions. This reduces the risk of accidental or malicious misuse of privileged access.

Regular Access Reviews

• Conduct quarterly reviews of user roles and permissions
• Remove access for users who have changed roles or left the organization
• Audit custom roles to ensure they still align with business needs

Role Naming Conventions

Use clear, descriptive names for custom roles that indicate their purpose:

• Good examples: "SOC-Analyst-L1", "IR-Team-Lead", "Compliance-Auditor"
• Avoid generic names: "Custom Role 1", "Test Role", "Special Access"

Documentation

Maintain documentation for all custom roles including:

• Purpose and intended users
• Permissions granted and rationale
• Approval and review history
• Date created and last modified

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Common Custom Role Examples

SOC Analyst (Tier 1)

Permissions

• View detections and alerts
• Access host information
• View threat intelligence
• Run queries in Event Search

Restrictions

• Cannot contain hosts
• Cannot modify prevention policies
• Cannot delete detections

Incident Responder

Permissions

• All SOC Analyst permissions
• Real-time response access
• Host containment/lift containment
• Execute response actions

Restrictions

• Cannot modify sensor deployment
• Cannot access user management

Compliance Auditor

Permissions

• Read-only access to all detections
• Access to reports and dashboards
• View prevention policies
• Export data for compliance reporting

Restrictions

• No modification rights
• Cannot execute response actions

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Troubleshooting

User Cannot Access Specific Features

If a user reports they cannot access expected features:

- Verify their assigned role in **Users & Roles > Users** - Check if the role has the necessary permissions - Confirm the user has completed their Falcon Console registration - Check if there are any IP restrictions or conditional access policies

### Role Assignment Not Taking Effect

• Allow 5-10 minutes for role changes to propagate
• Ask the user to log out and log back in
• Clear browser cache and cookies

Cannot Delete a Role

You cannot delete a role if:

• Users are currently assigned to that role (reassign them first)
• It is a predefined system role

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Top 5 Permission Mistakes and How to Fix Them

1. Giving All Users Administrator Access

Problem: New CrowdStrike deployments often start with everyone as Administrator for convenience, creating security risks.

Fix: Create role-specific access immediately. Use the SOC Analyst, Incident Responder, and Compliance Auditor examples above as templates.

2. Analyst Can't See Detections in Certain Host Groups

Problem: User has the correct role but cannot see detections for specific endpoints.

Fix: Check if host group restrictions are applied to the role. Navigate to the role settings and verify the user has visibility to all required host groups, not just a subset.

3. Responder Can't Contain Hosts

Problem: User assigned Responder role but the "Contain Host" button is grayed out.

Fix: Verify the Responder role has Real-Time Response enabled. For custom roles, ensure both "Network Containment" and "Lift Containment" permissions are granted.

4. User Has Role But Features Are Missing

Problem: User assigned to a role but entire sections of the console are not visible.

Fixes:

• Allow 5-10 minutes for role changes to propagate
• Have user log out completely and log back in
• Clear browser cache and cookies
• Verify user completed registration (clicked email link)
• Check for any IP-based conditional access policies blocking features

5. Can't Delete a Custom Role

Problem: Delete button is disabled for a custom role.

Fix: Roles with assigned users cannot be deleted. First, reassign all users to a different role:

1. Go to Users & Roles > Users
2. Filter by the role you want to delete
3. Reassign each user to a new role
4. Return to Roles tab and delete

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Related CrowdStrike Guides

• How to Setup CrowdStrike Device Control - Requires Sensor Manager or Administrator role
• How to Setup Prevention Policies - Policy management permissions required
• How to Quarantine and Contain Endpoints - Requires Responder role
• Deploying Falcon Sensor via GPO - Requires Sensor Manager permissions

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Additional Resources

• CrowdStrike Falcon Documentation
• CrowdStrike Support Portal

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*Last reviewed: January 2025*
*Applies to: CrowdStrike Falcon Console*