Which concept ensures that access events are recorded and can be audited?

Which concept ensures that access events are recorded and can be audited?

• A. Authentication
• B. Identification
• C. Accounting
• D. Authorization

Answer: (C)

Recording and auditing access events is accomplished through accounting. This concept focuses on creating audit trails: logging who did what, when, and to which resources. With proper accounting, organizations can reconstruct user activities, detect unusual or unauthorized behavior, support incident response, and meet compliance or billing requirements. Authentication, on the other hand, is about proving who you are; identification is about determining who the entity is; authorization decides what actions the entity is allowed to perform. While those steps govern access control, they do not by themselves ensure that a detailed record of events is maintained for later review, which is the core purpose of accounting.

Recording and auditing access events is accomplished through accounting. This concept focuses on creating audit trails: logging who did what, when, and to which resources. With proper accounting, organizations can reconstruct user activities, detect unusual or unauthorized behavior, support incident response, and meet compliance or billing requirements. Authentication, on the other hand, is about proving who you are; identification is about determining who the entity is; authorization decides what actions the entity is allowed to perform. While those steps govern access control, they do not by themselves ensure that a detailed record of events is maintained for later review, which is the core purpose of accounting.