Identification, Authentication, Authorization, and Accountability

ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC

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1 Introduction & Exam Overview

Official 2026 CC Exam Facts and Timeline CAT Format and Beginner Security Judgment Domain Map and Time Allocation 30, 60, and 90 Day Study Plan with Readiness Thresholds

2 Domain 1: Security Principles (24%)

CIA Triad as a Practical Decision Tool Authentication, Authorization, Accounting, and Non-Repudiation Privacy in the CC Outline Beginner Security Decision Scenarios AI Security in Security Principles

3 Domain 1: Risk Management and Security Controls

Risk Identification in Business Context Risk Management Processes Risk Treatment Decisions Security Controls: Technical, Administrative, and Physical

4 Domain 1: Governance, Ethics, Policy, and Privacy

Governance and the ISC2 Code of Ethics Policies, Procedures, Standards, Laws, and Regulations Privacy and AI Governance Due Care, Due Diligence, and Governance Decisions

5 Domain 1: Physical Security Controls

Physical Controls and Their Monitoring Tailgating and Physical Penetration Testing

6 Domain 2: Security Governance - Business Continuity

Business Continuity (BC)

7 Domain 2: Security Governance - Disaster Recovery

Disaster Recovery (DR) Redundancy in Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

8 Domain 2: GRC Planning

GRC Planning: Purpose, Importance, and Tools

9 Domain 2: Measuring Cybersecurity Effectiveness

Security Metrics, KRIs, and Dashboards AI Security in Governance, Awareness, and Continuity

10 Domain 2 and Domain 5: Security Awareness and Triage

Security Awareness and Organizational Culture Phishing and Password Protection Security Event Triage and Human Review

11 Domain 3: Identity Lifecycle Management

Identification, Authentication, Authorization, and Accountability Multi-Factor Authentication and Password Protection Provisioning, Deprovisioning, and Access Reviews Service Accounts and AI Bots in Identity Management AI Bots and Service Accounts in Identity Management

12 Domain 3: Logical Access Controls

Least Privilege and Separation of Duties DAC, MAC, RBAC, and ABAC

13 Domain 4: Networking Fundamentals

Network Models and IP Addressing Firewalls: Ports and Applications Virtual Private Networks (VPN) Wireless Networks and Embedded Systems

14 Domain 4: Network Security Architecture and Cloud Security

Network Segmentation Defense in Depth and Zero Trust Cloud Characteristics and Shared Security Model Cloud Service Models, Deployment Models, and Shared Security AI in Network Security and Cloud Hosting

15 Domain 5: Incident Response

Incident Response (IR) and the Incident Response Plan Preparing the Incident Response Plan Incident Response Exercises and Tabletops AI in Security Operations and Incident Response

16 Domain 5: Security Monitoring

Logging and Monitoring Security Events

17 Domain 5: Threat Actors and Threat Intelligence

Threat Actors, Threat Intelligence, and Frameworks

18 Domain 5: Data Security

Encryption and Hashing for Data Security Data Handling: Classification, Labeling, Masking, and Sanitization Security of the AI Workspace

19 Domain 5: Asset Protection

Configuration and Change Management Change Management and Asset Protection Asset Lifecycle and End-of-Life Management

20 Domain 5: Data Handling Policy

Data Handling Policy and Classification

21 Domain 5: Security Testing

Security Readiness, Application, and Physical Testing

22 Integrated CC Scenario Labs

Risk and Control Selection Drill Continuity, Recovery, and Response Drill Access Control Design Drill Segmentation and Triage Drill

23 Final 14-Day Review and Exam Readiness

CAT Pacing and 100-125 Item Strategy Missed-Question Notebook and Domain Repair Exam Day Logistics and Rescheduling After Passing: AMF and CPE

Identification, Authentication, Authorization, and Accountability

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

Subdomain 1.1 names AAA; subdomain 3.1 names roles definition as the first identity lifecycle step.

Identity is the claim, authentication verifies it, authorization decides the permitted action, and accountability records it.

Define roles before provisioning accounts.

Source: ISC2 CC Exam Outline effective September 1, 2026, subdomains 1.1 and 3.1, checked 2026-10-22.

Last updated: October 2026

From Claim to Record

Subdomain 1.1 names Authentication, Authorization, Accounting (AAA) . An identity is the claim that someone or something is asking for access. Authentication verifies the claim. Authorization decides what the verified identity may do. Accounting records the action so that accountability is possible.

Source: ISC2 CC Exam Outline effective September 1, 2026 (v01/2026), subdomains 1.1 and 3.1, https://www.isc2.org/certifications/cc/cc-certification-exam-outline , checked 2026-10-22.

Roles Come First

Subdomain 3.1, Understand identity life cycle management , begins with roles definition , followed by provisioning, review, and deprovisioning. A role states what a job needs. Defining roles before provisioning keeps each account tied to a documented need, which is what authorization decisions depend on.

What the Outline Lists for This Section

The outline names these items. Be able to explain each one in plain language and apply it to a short scenario:

1.1: Confidentiality
1.1: Integrity
1.1: Availability
1.1: Authentication, Authorization, Accounting (AAA)
1.1: Non-repudiation
1.1: Privacy
3.1: Roles definition
3.1: Provision
3.1: Review
3.1: Deprovision
3.1: Frameworks and tools

Common Traps

A common trap is naming the wrong objective. If the scenario is about who acted, the objective is accountability, not availability. Name the objective the scenario states before choosing among controls.