Lattice-Based Access Control Model

A.

In a lattice model, there are pairs of elements that have the least upper bound of values and greatest lower bound of values.

In a Mandatory Access Control (MAC) model, users and data owners do not have as much freedom to determine who can access files.

TIPS FROM CLEMENT - Mandatory Access Control is in place whenever you have permissions that are being imposed on the subject and the subject cannot arbitrarily change them.

When the subject/owner of the file can change permissions at will, it is discretionary access control.

Here is a breakdown largely based on explanations provided by Doug Landoll.

I am reproducing below using my own word and not exactly how Doug explained it: FIRST: The Lattice - A lattice is simply an access control tool usually used to implement Mandatory Access Control (MAC) and it could also be used to implement RBAC but this is not as common.The lattice model can be used for Integrity level or file permissions as well.The latticehas a least upper bound and greatest lower bound.

It makes use of pair of elements such as the subject security clearance pairing with the object sensitivity label.

SECOND: DAC (Discretionary Access Control) Let's get into Discretionary Access Control: It is an access control method where the owner (read the creator of the object) will decide who has access at his own discretion.As we all know, users are sometimes insane.

They will share their files with other users based on their identity but nothing prevent the user from further sharing it with other users on the network.

Very quickly you loose control on the flow of information and who has access to what.

It is used in small and friendly environment where a low level of security is all that is required.

THIRD: MAC (Mandatory Access Control) All of the following are forms of Mandatory Access Control: Mandatory Access control (MAC) (Implemented using the lattice) You must remember that MAC makes use of Security Clearance for the subject and also Labels will be assigned to the objects.The clearance of the Subject must dominate (be equal or higher) the clearance of the Object being accessed.The label attached to the object will indicate the sensitivity leval and the categories the object belongs to.The categories are used to implement the Need to Know.

All of the following are forms of Non Discretionary Access Control: Role Based Access Control (RBAC) Rule Based Access Control (Think Firewall in this case) The official ISC2 book says that RBAC (synonymous with Non Discretionary Access Control) is a form of DAC but they are simply wrong.

RBAC is a form of Non Discretionary Access Control.Non Discretionary DOES NOT equal mandatory access control as there is no labels and clearance involved.

I hope this clarifies the whole drama related to what is what in the world of access control.

In the same line of taught, you should be familiar with the difference between Explicit permission (the user has his own profile) versus Implicit (the user inherit permissions by being a member of a role for example)

The following answers are incorrect: Discretionary access control.

Is incorrect because in a Discretionary Access Control (DAC) model, access is restricted based on the authorization granted to the users.

It is identity based access control only.

It does not make use of a lattice.

Non-discretionary access control.

Is incorrect because Non-discretionary Access Control (NDAC) uses therole-based access control method to determine access rights and permissions.

It is often times used as a synonym to RBAC which is Role Based Access Control.

The user inherit permission from the role when they are assigned into the role.

This type of access could make use of a lattice but could also be implemented without the use of a lattice in some case.Mandatory Access Control was a better choice than this one, but RBAC could also make use of a lattice.

The BEST answer was MAC.

Rule-based access control.

Is incorrect because it is an example of a Non-discretionary Access Control (NDAC) access control mode.You have rules that are globally applied to all users.

There is no such thing as a lattice being use in Rule-Based Access Control.

References: AIOv3 Access Control (pages 161 - 168) AIOv3 Security Models and Architecture (pages 291 - 293)

A lattice-based access control model is an example of a mandatory access control (MAC) model.

Mandatory access control is a security model that restricts access based on the security clearance of subjects (users) and the classification of objects (resources) in the system. The access control decisions are based on security labels that are assigned to both the subjects and the objects.

In a lattice-based access control model, the security labels are organized in a lattice structure, with each label representing a set of security attributes. The lattice structure allows for the comparison of security labels to determine the level of access that should be granted.

This model is used in environments where strict access controls are necessary, such as in military and government systems, where information must be protected at all times. The lattice-based access control model ensures that only users with the appropriate security clearance and need-to-know are able to access specific resources, and it provides a higher level of security than discretionary access control (DAC) models.

In contrast, DAC allows the owner of an object to control who has access to it, and the access decision is based on the discretion of the owner or other users who have been granted access. Non-discretionary access control (NDAC) models are those in which access decisions are made by an administrator or other authority, rather than by the owner of the resource. Rule-based access control (RBAC) models use a set of rules or policies to determine access, rather than security labels.