Question

Difficulty: MediumAuthentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA)

A security administrator is deploying a centralized access management solution for enterprise network infrastructure. Which of the following technical configurations directly represent the Authorization pillar of the AAA framework? (Select TWO.)

  1. Assigning Cisco privilege level 15 permissions to network engineers upon session establishment on core routers.Answer
  2. Applying security group policies that restrict database backup accounts to read-only permissions on storage volumes.Answer
  3. C
    Validating an employee's smart card digital certificate and PIN against an Active Directory Domain Controller.
  4. D
    Streaming executed CLI command histories and shell session timestamps from switches to a centralized syslog server.

Answer

The configurations representing Authorization are assigning privilege level 15 permissions to network engineers on core routers and applying security group policies that restrict backup accounts to read-only permissions on storage volumes.
Authorization specifies rights, privileges, and access levels granted to an entity. Assigning router privilege levels determines which commands an administrator can execute, and applying security group policy restrictions limits account rights on storage volumes. Both actions directly define and enforce access rights.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze each option against the core definitions of AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting).
Identify whether the configuration verifies identity (Authentication), defines permissions/access rights (Authorization), or records user activity/events (Accounting).
AAA components separate identity proof, permission assignment, and event logging into distinct operational pillars.
2
Evaluate privilege assignment and policy restriction controls.
Determined that assigning router privilege levels and restricting storage volume access to read-only explicitly control permissions.
Authorization enforces access boundaries and determines what an authenticated subject is allowed to do.
3
Evaluate credential verification and audit logging controls.
Determined that smart card PIN validation is authentication, and CLI command history logging is accounting.
Credential validation proves identity, while command logging records activity for compliance and forensic tracking.

Key Concept

Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA)
Rate this question