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Security Fundamentals & Crypto · Foundational

Access Control

Security mechanisms that determine who or what can view, use, or change resources, and under what conditions.

Definition

Access control combines identification, authentication, authorization, and accountability to regulate interactions between subjects (users, processes) and objects (files, systems). It can be physical or logical and is implemented through models such as DAC, MAC, RBAC, and ABAC. Access decisions should follow least privilege and default deny.

Example

File permissions, badge readers, and firewall rules are all forms of access control.

Exam tip

Know the subject (active entity) versus object (passive resource) vocabulary.

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