Role-based Security Access Control

5 minutes 5 Questions

Role-based access control (RBAC) is a personnel security concept that enforces access controls in an organization based on the roles and responsibilities of employees. The central idea behind RBAC is the principle of least privilege, which refers to granting employees the minimum level of access necessary for them to perform their job functions effectively. By limiting access, organizations reduce the risk of unauthorized access or modification of sensitive data, which could lead to potential security breaches or data leaks. RBAC systems can be highly granular, allowing the administrator to specify roles, groups, and permissions, as well as enforce separation of duties to minimize conflicts of interest.

Guide: Role-based Security Access Control

Role-based Security Access Control (RSAC) is a crucial concept in personnel security within CISSP.

Why is it important? RSAC is important because it determines the level of access an individual or a group can have in a system based on their role. By properly defining new roles or changing existing roles, organisations can easily modify users’ access permissions to protect network resources.

What is Role-based Security Access Control? RSAC is an approach to restricting system access to authorized users. It is a method of assigning system access rights based on roles within an organization. Each role has a set of associated permissions to perform specified tasks.

How does it work? Each user on a network is assigned one or more roles, and each role has a set of permissions attached to it. When a user tries to perform an action on the network, the system checks that the user has the appropriate role that grants the required permissions.

Exam tips: Answering Questions on Role-based Security Access Control
Understanding the concept well is key to accurate answers. Concentrate on how roles are defined in RSAC, the associated permissions, and the benefits of implementing such a system in a workplace. In addition, know the difference between role-based, rule-based, and discretionary access controls.

Test mode:

Exam (Timed)

Practice (With explanations)

Start practice test

Question 1

You are required to set up role-based access control for a retail store. Which approach is the most suitable?

Create various roles like Manager, Cashier, and Stock person and assign access based on their responsibilities. Organize access rights based on alphabetical order. Give the highest level of access to everyone to avoid complications. Provide access rights only when requested by an employee.

Correct Answer: Create various roles like Manager, Cashier, and Stock person and assign access based on their responsibilities.

In role-based access control, job functions are identified, and a set of access rights are granted accordingly. Creating roles such as Manager, Cashier, and Stock person reflects these defined job functions and ensures access rights are relevant and secure.

Question 2

An employee recently got promoted from Quality Assurance Analyst to a Team Lead. How should you modify their access rights?

Let the employee keep their existing access rights as a fallback. Remove the employee from the QA role and assign them the Team Lead role. Grant them the Team Lead role without revoking the QA role. Ask the employee to choose which role's access they want.

Correct Answer: Remove the employee from the QA role and assign them the Team Lead role.

In role-based access control, the most efficient way to modify access rights is to revoke the current role and assign the new role directly. This ensures that the newly promoted Team Lead has the necessary access rights without holding redundant permissions.

Question 3

A new developer is joining your company, for which you have to assign the appropriate access rights based on their role. What is the most efficient way to do this?

Assign the developer to a predefined role with the necessary access levels. Grant access to all resources and let the developer figure it out. Manually set individual access levels for specific resources. Copy the access rights of another developer and adjust as needed.

Correct Answer: Assign the developer to a predefined role with the necessary access levels.

Role-based access control assigns access rights based on employee roles. By assigning a predefined role to the new developer, you ensure they have the appropriate access rights without making redundant or misplaced access changes.

Go Premium

CISSP Preparation Package (2024)

More Role-based Security Access Control questions

9 questions (total)