You can now control the access of custom settings at a granular level by granting direct Read access to specific custom settings through profiles and permission sets.
Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Professional, Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited editions.
When: This feature is a late-breaking addition to the Winter ’20 release.
Who: Users with the Customize Application permission can grant read access to specific custom settings through profiles and permission sets.
How: To grant a Profile or Permission Set read access to specific custom settings, enable the Restrict access to custom settings org permission. Then enable access to specific custom settings.