SSCP Certification SSCP Access Control Systems 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which access control model assigns permissions based on the sensitivity label of an object and the clearance level of a subject?
- Discretionary Access Control (DAC)
- Mandatory Access Control (MAC) (Correct answer)
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
- Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)
Correct answer: Mandatory Access Control (MAC)
MAC uses sensitivity labels on objects and clearance levels on subjects to enforce access decisions centrally, independent of user discretion.
Question 2: A system logs every failed authentication attempt and alerts the security team after five consecutive failures. What security control does this represent?
- Preventive control
- Corrective control
- Detective control (Correct answer)
- Deterrent control
Correct answer: Detective control
Logging and alerting on failed attempts is a detective control because it identifies and reports suspicious activity without stopping it directly.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of a Trusted Path in an operating system?
- Encrypting data in transit between processes
- Providing a secure communication channel between the user and the TCB (Correct answer)
- Establishing VPN tunnels for remote access
- Validating digital signatures on executables
Correct answer: Providing a secure communication channel between the user and the TCB
A Trusted Path ensures that communications between a user and the Trusted Computing Base (TCB) cannot be intercepted or spoofed by malicious software.
Question 4: Under the Bell-LaPadula model, the 'no read up' property is formally called:
- Simple Security Property (Correct answer)
- Star (*) Property
- Discretionary Security Property
- Tranquility Property
Correct answer: Simple Security Property
The Simple Security Property (ss-property) prevents subjects from reading objects at a higher classification level than their clearance.
Question 5: An organization wants to grant contractors temporary access to a project folder that automatically expires after 30 days. Which mechanism best supports this?
- Access Control Lists with time-based entries
- Capability tokens with embedded expiration (Correct answer)
- Mandatory labels with low sensitivity
- User accounts without password expiration
Correct answer: Capability tokens with embedded expiration
Capability tokens can embed expiration dates, ensuring access is automatically revoked when the token expires without manual ACL changes.
Question 6: What distinguishes need-to-know from clearance in a MAC environment?
- Clearance is granted by users; need-to-know is granted by the system
- Clearance is a minimum level; need-to-know is a maximum level
- Clearance grants eligibility; need-to-know restricts access to specific information despite clearance (Correct answer)
- They are functionally identical in MAC systems
Correct answer: Clearance grants eligibility; need-to-know restricts access to specific information despite clearance
Even with sufficient clearance, a subject must also have a demonstrated need-to-know for the specific data to be granted access.
Question 7: Which access control concept limits the damage a compromised account can cause by granting only the permissions required for its job function?
- Separation of duties
- Least privilege (Correct answer)
- Job rotation
- Dual control
Correct answer: Least privilege
Least privilege minimizes an account's permissions to only what is necessary, reducing the attack surface if that account is compromised.
SSCP Certification SSCP Access Control Systems 2
Which access control model assigns permissions based on the sensitivity label of an object and the clearance level of a subject?