In ABAC, which factors are considered when making access decisions?

In Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC), access decisions are primarily based on attributes associated with the subjects (users) and objects (resources) involved in an interaction. This model utilizes a variety of attributes to evaluate whether access should be granted or denied. These attributes may include user characteristics, environmental conditions, and specific characteristics of the resource being accessed.

By employing both subject and object attributes, ABAC allows for a more granular and context-aware approach to access control, enabling policies to reflect complex access scenarios and requirements. This flexibility makes it highly suitable for environments with dynamic access needs and varying levels of security.

In contrast, focusing solely on user roles and permissions would limit the effectiveness of the access control system, as it does not take into account the attributes of the resources being accessed or the context in which access is requested. Clearance levels by themselves also do not encompass the full array of relevant attributes, while user behavior history, while useful for security analysis, does not directly inform access decisions in the same way that subject and object attributes do.