AAA stands for in identity and access management?

• A. Access Control, Authentication, and Antivirus.
• B. Authentication, Authorization, and Auditing.
• C. Authorization, Authentication, and Accounting.
• D. Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting.

Answer: (D)

In identity and access management, AAA stands for Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting. Authentication is the process of proving who you are, typically with credentials like a password, token, or biometric. Once identity is verified, Authorization decides what you’re allowed to do or which resources you can access based on permissions or roles. Finally, Accounting (often called auditing or accountability) records what actions were performed, when, and by whom, to support compliance, troubleshooting, and security reviews.

This combination is the standard because you first prove who you are, then enforce what you can do, and finally keep a log of activities for accountability. Antivirus or Access Control aren’t part of the AAA trio, and while Accounting is closely related to Auditing, the conventional term used in this acronym is Accounting.