GSEC · Question #273
A web application requires multifactor authentication when a user accesses the application from a home office but does not require this when the user is in the office. What access control model is…
The correct answer is C. Variable trust access control. This scenario describes an access control model that applies different authentication requirements based on network location, representing variable trust access control.
Question
A web application requires multifactor authentication when a user accesses the application from a home office but does not require this when the user is in the office. What access control model is this describing?
Options
- ALattice based access control
- BAccess control list
- CVariable trust access control
- DRole based access control
How the community answered
(15 responses)- A7% (1)
- B13% (2)
- C73% (11)
- D7% (1)
Why each option
This scenario describes an access control model that applies different authentication requirements based on network location, representing variable trust access control.
Lattice-based access control uses security labels and clearance levels to define subject-to-object access relationships, not contextual factors like network location.
An access control list defines specific permissions for users or groups on resources but does not dynamically adjust authentication requirements based on location or context.
Variable trust access control adjusts security requirements dynamically based on contextual factors such as the user's location, device, or network. In this case, the office network is treated as a higher-trust environment so MFA is not required, while the home office is lower-trust and requires MFA. This model is a core principle of Zero Trust architecture, where trust is never implicit and is always evaluated based on context.
Role-based access control grants permissions based on a user's assigned organizational role, not based on the network location or environmental context from which they connect.
Concept tested: Context-aware variable trust access control
Source: https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-207/final
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