SudoGate
Definition
A Reliatic-specific re-authentication mechanism that requires users to confirm their identity before performing critical, irreversible, or high-consequence actions. Named after the Unix 'sudo' command (superuser do), SudoGate ensures that destructive operations, sensitive data access, or governance overrides are performed intentionally by an authenticated user, not by an unattended session or unauthorized person at an unlocked workstation.
Context
SudoGate is triggered for actions such as: permanent data deletion, risk acceptance approval, inspection deferral approval, role elevation, and audit configuration changes. It requires re-entering credentials or confirming via a secondary authentication factor, with a brief elevation window before re-authentication is required again.
Examples
- Permanently deleting an asset from the register triggers a SudoGate prompt requiring the user to re-enter their password and confirm the action, with the asset ID displayed for verification.
- Approving a risk acceptance for a Category D risk triggers SudoGate, ensuring the approver is actively present and intentionally authorizing the acceptance.
Related Terms
A checkpoint in a governed workflow where an authorized person must review and explicitly approve before the process can proceed to the next stage. Approval gates enforce segregation of duties, ensure that decisions are made by personnel with appropriate authority, and create auditable decision points. Each gate has defined entry criteria, review requirements, and authority levels.
Governance EventA discrete, auditable event in the lifecycle of a governed artifact (asset, risk, MOC, inspection) that records a decision, approval, status change, or significant action. Governance events capture who did what, when, why, and with what authorization. They form the backbone of the audit trail and provide the evidence chain for regulatory compliance.
Audit TrailA chronological record of system activities, decisions, and data changes that provides documentary evidence of the sequence of events that have affected a specific operation, procedure, or artifact. In asset integrity management, the audit trail records who made what change, when, why, and with what authorization, creating an unbroken chain of evidence for regulatory compliance and forensic investigation.
Immutable RecordA data record that cannot be altered, deleted, or overwritten after creation. Immutable records use mechanisms such as cryptographic hash chains, append-only storage, and database-level enforcement (triggers and policies) to ensure that historical data integrity is preserved. Any correction to an immutable record is made by creating a new record that references and supersedes the original.
Where this appears in Reliatic
This concept is used in the Governance module.