Which term describes a centralized method of granting access decisions across resources due to the complexity of per-resource authorization?

Which term describes a centralized method of granting access decisions across resources due to the complexity of per-resource authorization?

• A. Mandatory Access Control
• B. Discretionary Access Control
• C. Centralized Authorization
• D. Rule-based Access Control

Answer: (C)

Centralized Authorization concentrates access decisions in a single policy authority, which is essential when the number of resources makes per-resource checks impractical. Instead of each resource evaluating permissions on its own, requests go to a centralized decision point that consults a unified policy and grants or denies access for all resources consistently. This setup simplifies policy updates, improves auditability, and ensures uniform enforcement across the environment. Other models describe who controls the permissions or how rules are defined, not how decisions are centralized across many resources. For example, Mandatory Access Control relies on system-enforced security labels; Discretionary Access Control lets resource owners grant or revoke access; Rule-based Access Control uses a set of rules to govern access, but the term itself doesn’t imply centralized decision-making across all resources.

Centralized Authorization concentrates access decisions in a single policy authority, which is essential when the number of resources makes per-resource checks impractical. Instead of each resource evaluating permissions on its own, requests go to a centralized decision point that consults a unified policy and grants or denies access for all resources consistently. This setup simplifies policy updates, improves auditability, and ensures uniform enforcement across the environment.

Other models describe who controls the permissions or how rules are defined, not how decisions are centralized across many resources. For example, Mandatory Access Control relies on system-enforced security labels; Discretionary Access Control lets resource owners grant or revoke access; Rule-based Access Control uses a set of rules to govern access, but the term itself doesn’t imply centralized decision-making across all resources.