Alternative Forms

N/A

Definitions

Definition 1

Related Terms

• Access Control Mechanism (Dictionary Entry)

• Access Control Policy (Dictionary Entry)

Quotes

Rather than attempting to evaluate and analyze access control systems exclusively at the mechanism level, security models are usually written to describe the security properties of an access control system. A model is a formal presentation of the security policy enforced by the system and is useful for proving theoretical limitations of a system. Access control models are of general interest to both users and vendors. They bridge the rather wide gap in abstraction between policy and mechanism. Access control mechanisms can be designed to adhere to the properties of the model. Users see an access control model as an unambiguous and precise expression of requirements. Vendors and system developers see access control models as design and implementation requirements. On one extreme, an access control model may be rigid in its implementation of a single policy. On the other extreme, a security model will allow for the expression and enforcement of a wide variety of policies and policy classes [FKC03, HFF01].

Bibliography

• NIST IR 7316, 2006

See Also