Access Control

Access Control Definition

Types of Access Control

There are two main types of access control.

Discretionary Access Control (DAC)

Discretionary Access Control Definition
  • [i] Discretionary Access Control) - (definition:: The owner of the resource has the discretion to determine who has access and what permissions they have) - (subject:: Cybersecurity

Discretionary Access Control Example

A good example of DAC would be a document shared on Microsoft 365 and GSuite. You can share a file with specific emails as the owner of the resource.

Mandatory Access Control (MAC)

Mandatory Access Control Definition
  • [i] Mandatory Access Control) - (definition:: Access is controller by a system based on predefined security policies, not the resource owner) - (subject:: Cybersecurity

Mandatory Access Control Example

Using the same analogy as Discretionary Access Control (DAC), MAC would be if that file is in a shared folder or filespace. In that case, that file is automatically shared with the users that have access to the shared folder.

Access Control Lists

A main way of controlling access is through referencing an Access Control List (ACL).

Access Control List (ACL)

Access Control List (ACL) Definition
  • [i] Access Control List (ACL)) - (definition:: A list used top define and manage access permissions like files, folders, or network devices) - (subject:: Cybersecurity

Access Control List (ACL)

ACLs contain a list of security principals (these are users, groups, system accounts) and specific permissions granted to each.

When a user attempts to access a resource, the system checks the ACL to determine if a user is allowed to have the requested access. If the user is not on the list or has insufficient permissions, access is denied.

User01
NTFS ACL
Security Principle
Access
System
Full Control
Administrators
Full Control
Users
Read & Write
Engineering
Modify
User01
Read