Access control systems enable an authority to control access to areas and resources in a given physical facility or computer-based information system. Which of the following services provided by…

Question

Options

• AAuthentication
• BAuthorization
• CAccountability
• DIdentification

• B
  92% (34)
• C
  5% (2)
• D
  3% (1)

Explanation

Authorization (B) is the service that determines what a subject is permitted to do - it enforces permissions and policies after identity has already been established, answering the question "what are you allowed to access or perform?"

• Authentication (A) is wrong because it verifies who you are (e.g., password, biometric), not what you can do.
• Identification (D) is wrong because it simply claims an identity (e.g., entering a username) - it's the first step before authentication even occurs.
• Accountability (C) is wrong because it tracks and records what was done (audit logs), not what is permitted.

Memory tip: Think of the "3 A's + I" in order - Identification → Authentication → Authorization → Accountability. Authorization is the third step, bridging "who you are" to "what you can do." The word authorization contains "author" - an author controls what gets written, just as authorization controls what actions are allowed.

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