CompTIA Cloud+ Practice Test

What is the focus of Marie's audit of public cloud identity systems regarding access?

1. Federated access

2. Resource-based policies

3. User-based policies

4. Access control lists

The correct answer is: User-based policies

The focus of Marie's audit of public cloud identity systems regarding access is primarily on user-based policies. User-based policies are critical in cloud environments as they define how individual users are granted access to resources. These policies take into account the roles and permissions assigned to each user, ensuring that only authorized individuals can access specific data and services within the cloud infrastructure. By concentrating on user-based policies, Marie can assess the effectiveness of the identity management system in enforcing access controls based on the specific identities of users. This approach plays a significant role in maintaining security and compliance, as it allows organizations to tailor access rights to individual user needs. For instance, this can help in implementing the principle of least privilege, which is essential in minimizing potential vulnerabilities. In contrast, federated access focuses on enabling different identity systems to work together, resource-based policies define permissions tied directly to specific cloud resources, and access control lists detail permissions for groups of users or resources. While these are also important considerations in access management, Marie’s audit is fundamentally centered on how user identities impact access rights, making user-based policies the primary focus.