Access Control and Authentication

Start with access control

This page brings together resources on how access to computer resources is controlled and how users are identified. A useful starting point is the Access Control Strategies mind map, which introduces identification as an assertion of identity for a person, system or device. It also connects identity with the controls applied to a user.

For another view, explore the mind map on access control and security policy. It considers which users or systems are allowed to read and write to system resources. The Security mind map adds access control lists, roles and different access control models.

Move on to authentication

The authentication mind map looks at validating a person's identity and includes password authentication. After reading it, use the Authentication flashcards to recall authentication techniques and think through questions about passwords, including how they are stored.

The Access Control flashcards offer a way to practice the terms principal, subject and object, as well as the process of accessing a resource. Work through the cards after the maps, returning to a map when a term needs another look.

Check your understanding

Try Secure Software Concepts after exploring the access control maps. It includes a question about the mechanism that lets an object owner determine access permissions for other subjects. Another listed quiz asks about access control lists, authentication and access control enforcement.

Use a quiz to check what you can recall, then return to the relevant map or flashcards to study the terms again. Access Control and Authentication is one section of the Cybersecurity Fundamentals unit in Cybersecurity, so these resources provide a focused way to study this part of the unit. Choose a resource and work through it at your own pace.