Discretionary Access Control (DAC) allows which individual to control access to an object?

Discretionary Access Control (DAC) is a type of access control mechanism where the owner or creator of an object has the authority to determine who is allowed to access that object and what rights they have. This means that the individual who creates a file, folder, or resource can assign permissions to other users, specifying whether they can read, write, or execute that resource.

In the context of DAC, the owner has the flexibility to delegate access rights to other users as they see fit, allowing for a more personalized approach to security. This is in contrast to more restrictive models like Mandatory Access Control (MAC), where access rights are determined by a central authority or policy rather than by the individual user.

The other roles mentioned, such as the system administrator or the most senior user in the system, do not inherently possess the permission to control access to objects under DAC unless they are also the owner or have been granted specific permissions by the owner. DAC emphasizes the autonomy of the individual who has created or owns a resource in managing access to it. This feature is integral in many operating systems and applications that leverage DAC for file and resource management.