

It offers a high level of protection to physical assets. By implementing MAC, enterprises ensure that only authorized people have access to the respective areas.
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Several large-scale private enterprises would also use MAC to protect the physical assets such as servers, electricity panels and inventories. These organizations can use MAC to ensure that employees only have access privileges to authorized rooms. It is most suitable for government organizations, hospitals, militaries and law enforcement organizations that operate in restricted environments.

Organizations that prioritize physical security over operating costs and operational flexibility should use MAC. Security administrators have limited control over how resources or data are shared within the organization. DAC systems lack negative authorization power. It makes restricted areas vulnerable to theft and vandalism. Physical security is the biggest concern with DAC. DAC is responsive to the business needs of an enterprise. Adding and removing users is easy with DAC. It reduces administrative overheads significantly. DAC allows users to configure their access parameters without the need for an administrator. The implementation of DAC is not complex as it allows users to manage their credentials. Pros and Cons of DAC ProsĭAC is a cost-effective access control mechanism. For instance, DAC is not suitable for a hospital that has several restricted areas. Since SMEs often lack a sufficient budget for a dedicated IT helpdesk, they will let users manage their accesses.ĭiscretionary access control may not be suitable for organizations that have several restricted areas within the building. When is Discretionary Access Control Used?ĭiscretionary access control is the most suitable access control mechanism for small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) with limited IT staff. This article provides the pros and cons of MAC and DAC and identifies various scenarios and examples where they can be used. When a user attempts to access a room, the security kernel checks the user’s security label and gives access to only rooms the security label entitles them to. Additionally, the security administrator groups the employees based on their roles or other parameters and assigns a security label to them. These may include titles like Restricted (Level 1), Secret (Level 2), and Top Secret (Level 3). With MAC, the security administrator defines the level of restriction using a hierarchy of security labels.

MAC considers two important aspects while granting or limiting user’s access to a particular part of the building:
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With MAC, admins have full control of how users gain access to the computer system for a higher level of security. Mandatory access control is an access control mechanism that provides users with access to a room or a part of the building based on security titles assigned to them by the security administrator. The administrator then controls the access type of other users as well. This is why DAC is called an identity-based access control mechanism.Īccess management through DAC includes the administrator generating an access control report (ACL) that lists which users have access to a particular space, room or area based on his or her role and what it requires. With DAC, the user identity is represented by credentials, which often take the form of physical key fobs, cards, mobile keys or a combination of username and password. These administrators create access policies to give other users administrative privileges to control the level of security. Whether a user receives access is determined by the system administrators. DACĭiscretionary access control is a protocol that grants or prohibits user access to suites, rooms and other parts of a building.

Discretionary Access Control (DAC) and Mandatory Access Control (MAC) are two popular strategies. IT administrators use several types of access control mechanisms to restrict users from accessing unauthorized locations throughout the premises. The Difference Between DAC and MAC Access Control ModelsĪccess control is a vital physical practice that helps enterprises protect their physical and cyber assets.
