ISC2 CISSP Practice Question

Mandatory Access Control (MAC) is characterized by centrally administered access controls where permissions are determined by comparing security attributes assigned to both subjects and objects. Users cannot modify these permissions, and the system strictly enforces access decisions based on these predefined security parameters.

MAC differs from other models because:

• DAC allows resource owners to determine and delegate access permissions
• RBAC bases access decisions on user roles or job functions rather than security attributes
• ABAC considers a broader range of attributes including environmental contexts for access decisions

The scenario describes the key characteristics of MAC: central administration, users unable to modify permissions, and access decisions based on comparing security parameters of users and resources.