📌 Discretionary Access Control (DAC) Summary
Discretionary Access Control, or DAC, is a method for managing access to resources like files or folders. It allows the owner of a resource to decide who can view or edit it. This approach gives users flexibility to share or restrict access based on their own preferences. DAC is commonly used in many operating systems and applications to control permissions. The system relies on the owner’s decisions rather than rules set by administrators.
🙋🏻♂️ Explain Discretionary Access Control (DAC) Simply
Imagine you have a personal locker at school. You can choose who you give a spare key to, so only those people can open it. Discretionary Access Control works in the same way, letting the owner decide who gets access to their stuff. If you change your mind, you can take the key back or give it to someone else.
📅 How Can it be used?
Use DAC in a file-sharing app to let users choose who can access or edit their documents.
🗺️ Real World Examples
In Windows operating systems, file owners can set permissions for files and folders, deciding which users can read, write or execute each file. This lets individuals control access without needing an administrator to set every rule.
A cloud storage service like Dropbox allows users to share specific files or folders with chosen people, granting them either viewing or editing rights. The user decides who gets access and what they can do.
✅ FAQ
What is Discretionary Access Control and how does it work?
Discretionary Access Control, or DAC, lets the owner of a resource like a file or folder decide who can access it and what they can do with it. If you create a document, for example, you get to choose who can read or edit it. This makes it easy for users to share things with colleagues or keep them private, all without needing an administrator to get involved.
Why might someone choose to use Discretionary Access Control?
People often choose DAC because it gives flexibility and control to the person who owns the resource. If you want to quickly share a file with a few teammates but not the whole company, DAC makes it simple. It is handy in workplaces where users need to manage their own files and decide who gets access without waiting for IT support.
Are there any downsides to using Discretionary Access Control?
While DAC is convenient, it can sometimes lead to security risks. Since users get to decide who can access their resources, they might accidentally give permission to the wrong person or forget to remove access when it is no longer needed. This can make it easier for information to be shared by mistake compared to stricter systems where administrators set the rules.
📚 Categories
🔗 External Reference Links
Discretionary Access Control (DAC) link
👏 Was This Helpful?
If this page helped you, please consider giving us a linkback or share on social media!
📎 https://www.efficiencyai.co.uk/knowledge_card/discretionary-access-control-dac
Ready to Transform, and Optimise?
At EfficiencyAI, we don’t just understand technology — we understand how it impacts real business operations. Our consultants have delivered global transformation programmes, run strategic workshops, and helped organisations improve processes, automate workflows, and drive measurable results.
Whether you're exploring AI, automation, or data strategy, we bring the experience to guide you from challenge to solution.
Let’s talk about what’s next for your organisation.
💡Other Useful Knowledge Cards
Automation Debt Metrics
Automation debt metrics are measurements used to track the amount of work that remains manual but could be automated. They help teams understand how much effort is still spent on tasks that could be improved with automation. By monitoring these metrics, organisations can identify areas where automation will save time and reduce errors.
Yield Farming
Yield farming is a way for people to earn rewards by lending or staking their cryptocurrency in special online platforms called decentralised finance, or DeFi, protocols. Users provide their funds to these platforms, which then use the money for things like loans or trading, and in return, users receive interest or new tokens as a reward. This process allows individuals to make their crypto assets work for them instead of just holding onto them.
Neural Representation Analysis
Neural representation analysis is a method used to understand how information is encoded and processed in the brain or artificial neural networks. By examining patterns of activity, researchers can learn which features or concepts are represented and how different inputs or tasks change these patterns. This helps to uncover the internal workings of both biological and artificial systems, making it easier to link observed behaviour to underlying mechanisms.
Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF)
Neural Radiance Fields, or NeRF, is a method in computer graphics that uses artificial intelligence to create detailed 3D scenes from a collection of 2D photographs. It works by learning how light behaves at every point in a scene, allowing it to predict what the scene looks like from any viewpoint. This technique makes it possible to generate realistic images and animations by estimating both the colour and transparency of objects in the scene.
Graph-Based Clustering
Graph-based clustering is a method of grouping items by representing them as points, called nodes, and connecting similar ones with lines, called edges, to form a network or graph. The method looks for clusters, which are groups of nodes that are more closely linked to each other than to the rest of the network. This approach is useful when relationships between items matter as much as their individual features.