Network Defense Essentials (NDE) Practice Exam 2026 - Free Network Defense Practice Questions and Study Guide

The correct choice, which is Mandatory Access Control (MAC), indicates that a strict access control policy is enforced where access rights are regulated by a central authority based on multiple levels of security. In this model, access to resource data is determined by the system, rather than the individual user. MAC is commonly used in environments that require a high level of security, such as government and military settings, where data classification levels dictate who may access specific information.

Under MAC, users cannot modify the access permissions set on resources; this eliminates the risk of unintentional data exposure that might occur with user-managed permissions. This makes MAC particularly suitable for handling confidential data, as it ensures that policies are uniformly enforced and reduces the potential for exploitation via user discretion.

Other access control models, such as Discretionary Access Control (DAC), allow the owner of the resource to make decisions about who can access it, which may lead to less stringent controls. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) assigns permissions based on roles within an organization, and while it can be effective in certain contexts, it may not meet the same security needs as MAC. Similarly, Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) takes a more flexible approach by evaluating attributes and environments but may not provide the