Security playbook · AI Employee: Sig

Security Exception Handling

Zero silent exceptions; every one time-boxed

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The problem

Security policies get in the way of legitimate work. Engineer needs a temporarily-open port to test an integration, product needs a specific software installed that's not on the approved list, exec needs their laptop to boot without FileVault for a specific tool. Manual exception approval is slow (2-5 days), unstructured (email + spreadsheet), and often results in permanent exceptions nobody reviews. Two years later the exception pile is bigger than the policy.

At a glance
Trigger
Form
Approvals
Security lead + risk owner approval
What it does
Writes to your systems
Systems
Vanta · Jira
How it feels in production

An hour-by-hour walkthrough.

Engineer Priya files an exception request: "need port 5432 open to prod-db from my laptop IP for 4 hours to debug the migration issue, ticket #OPS-4211." Sig picks up the request, validates: (1) Priya has legitimate business need (ticket referenced), (2) exception scope is limited (4 hours, specific IP, specific port), (3) applicable policy has exception provision. Sig routes to the appropriate approver (security lead for network-exposure exceptions), with the context bundle: what's requested, why, prior similar exceptions granted, risk level, expiry time. Approver reviews in 5-10 minutes rather than the 20-40 minutes it would take to gather context manually. On approval, Sig: - Executes the exception (opens the specific firewall rule with IP + port + time-bound) - Creates the auto-revoke schedule (4 hours from grant time) - Logs the exception with full context in the security-exception registry - Notifies Priya of the grant + expiry At expiry, Sig auto-revokes. If Priya still needs the access, they file an extension request — same flow, quicker. Weekly digest to security lead: active exceptions, expired-and-not-renewed, patterns (same team requesting same exception repeatedly might indicate policy needs update, not exception).
How it works

Step by step.

  1. 01

    Intake exception request with context

    User request specifies: what, why (business justification), duration, scope. Ticket / project reference required for auditability.

    Slack · Teams · Web form
  2. 02

    Validate + route to approver

    Validate justification present, scope reasonable, exception provision exists. Route to appropriate approver per exception type + risk level.

    Policy engine · Approval matrix
  3. 03

    Approver reviews with context bundle

    Bundle: request detail, requester history, similar prior exceptions, risk level, precedent. 5-10 minute decision.

    Slack · Teams · Web UI · Historical registry
  4. 04

    Execute exception + auto-revoke schedule

    For technical exceptions: apply the change (firewall rule, allowlist entry, config override). Schedule auto-revoke at expiry.

    Firewall · MDM · Config management · Scheduler
  5. 05

    Weekly digest + pattern detection

    Active exceptions, expired-not-renewed rate, repeated-request patterns (indicates policy update need).

    Analytics · Slack digest · Policy iteration
Systems and wiring

What you connect to make this run.

Firewall · Cloud security groups

read+write

Network-exposure exceptions apply here with expiry. Auto-revoke on schedule.

MDM · Endpoint policy

read+write

Endpoint-policy exceptions (software installation, encryption override). Auto-revoke reapplies baseline.

Slack · Teams · Web form

read+write

Exception request + approver interaction. Grant + expiry notification.

Security exception registry

read+write

Immutable audit log of every exception: what, why, who approved, when granted, when expired. Auditor-ready.

What changes

Before and after, honestly.

Time from request to approver decision
Before
1-5 business days
After
Under 4 hours
% of exceptions with auto-expiry
Before
20-40%
After
97%+
Undocumented / shadow exceptions
Before
30-60% of actual exceptions
After
Under 5%
Policies updated based on exception patterns
Before
0-2 per year
After
6-12 per year
Related

Playbooks that pair with this one.

Security

User Access Reviews (UAR)

Exceptions are reviewed in quarterly access reviews.

Security

Endpoint Compliance Drift

Endpoint exceptions coordinated with compliance-drift detection.

Security

SOC2 / Vanta Evidence Collection

Exception log is a common SOC 2 control; evidence flows from registry.

Frequently asked

Answers about this playbook.

What if the exception is genuinely permanent (business constraint)?

Permanent exceptions escalate to policy update. Better to update policy than accumulate permanent 'exceptions.'

How does it handle emergency exceptions (production incident, no time for approval)?

Break-glass exception path with immediate grant + post-hoc approval within 4 hours. Auditor sees the emergency reason + retroactive approval.

What about exceptions that touch compliance-relevant scope (PCI, HIPAA)?

Compliance-scope exceptions require additional approver (compliance lead, GC). Different approval matrix; stricter documentation.

Can users see their own active exceptions?

Yes — user dashboard shows their granted exceptions + expiry countdown + renewal path. Self-service visibility.

How does it handle third-party exceptions (vendor needs open port)?

Third-party exceptions have highest scrutiny + shortest duration. Coordinated with vendor's own security review; time-limited by default.

See it run on your data.

Free plan, no credit card. Connect the systems this playbook needs and run it against a past event first.

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