Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Mastering Your Certification!

TACACS, which stands for Terminal Access Controller Access-Control System, functions as an authentication protocol that provides centralized access control, particularly for remote users. It is designed to manage access to network resources by allowing organizations to authenticate, authorize, and account for users attempting to connect from remote locations.

This centralized approach means that instead of user credentials being managed locally on each device or server, they are stored and maintained in a central database or server. This enhances security and management efficiency by ensuring that all users, including remote ones, must authenticate against the same set of credentials.

In this context, remote users can access network services, provided they authenticate successfully according to the policies established by the organization using TACACS. Such functionality is critical for organizations that need to enforce security policies and ensure that only authorized individuals can access sensitive systems or data from outside the corporate network.

The other options present scenarios that misrepresent TACACS's functionality. TACACS does not restrict remote users entirely, nor does it guarantee unlimited access — that would contradict the purpose of access control. Additionally, TACACS requires authentication, so allowing users to bypass it when off-site would undermine the security model it provides. Thus, the central access control that TACACS offers is crucial for managing the security