ISC2 CC Access Controls Concepts Practice Question
This CC practice question tests your understanding of access controls concepts. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An organization implements an access control system where users are assigned to groups, and permissions are granted to groups rather than individuals. This is known as:
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) assigns permissions to roles (or groups) rather than to individual users. Users are then made members of these roles, inheriting the permissions associated with the role. This matches the description in the question, where users are assigned to groups and permissions are granted to those groups.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Mandatory Access Control (MAC)
Why it's wrong here
MAC enforces policies system-wide using labels, not group assignments.
✓
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Why this is correct
RBAC uses roles/groups to manage permissions efficiently.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Discretionary Access Control (DAC)
Why it's wrong here
DAC allows resource owners to set permissions, not necessarily group-based.
✗
Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)
Why it's wrong here
ABAC uses multiple attributes for access decisions, not just group membership.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the distinction between RBAC and ABAC by describing group-based assignment (RBAC) versus policy-based evaluation of multiple attributes (ABAC), leading candidates to confuse the two when the question mentions 'attributes' or 'policies'.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In RBAC, the core components are roles, permissions, and user-role assignments. The NIST RBAC standard (ANSI INCITS 359-2004) defines three levels: core RBAC, hierarchical RBAC, and constrained RBAC (with separation of duties). A real-world example is a hospital where the 'Doctor' role grants read/write access to medical records, while the 'Nurse' role grants read-only access; a user assigned to the 'Doctor' role automatically inherits those permissions without needing individual ACL entries.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CC question in full detail.
Access Controls Concepts — This question tests Access Controls Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) — Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) assigns permissions to roles (or groups) rather than to individual users. Users are then made members of these roles, inheriting the permissions associated with the role. This matches the description in the question, where users are assigned to groups and permissions are granted to those groups.
What should I do if I get this CC question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CC exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.