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CERTIFIED-IN-CYBERSECURITY · Question #644

What is the difference between mandatory access control (MAC) and discretionary access control (DAC)?

The correct answer is D. MAC is based on the sensitivity of the resource, while DAC is based on the identity of the user. In MAC, the operating system or security policy enforces access based on classification labels (e.g., Top Secret, Secret) assigned to both resources and users - individual users cannot change these permissions. MAC is common in government and military environments. In DAC, the…

Access Controls Concepts

Question

What is the difference between mandatory access control (MAC) and discretionary access control (DAC)?

Options

  • AMAC is based on the identity of the user, while DAC is based on the sensitivity of the resource
  • BMAC and DAC are the same thing
  • CMAC and DAC are both types of physical access control
  • DMAC is based on the sensitivity of the resource, while DAC is based on the identity of the user

How the community answered

(29 responses)
  • A
    3% (1)
  • B
    3% (1)
  • C
    7% (2)
  • D
    86% (25)

Explanation

In MAC, the operating system or security policy enforces access based on classification labels (e.g., Top Secret, Secret) assigned to both resources and users - individual users cannot change these permissions. MAC is common in government and military environments. In DAC, the resource owner decides who gets access, granting permissions based on user identity. For example, a file owner in a typical OS can choose who they share it with. This makes DAC more flexible but less strictly controlled than MAC.

Topics

#Access Control#MAC#DAC#Security Models

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