In cybersecurity, what are subjects?

In the context of cybersecurity, subjects refer to individuals or software processes that interact with objects, which are typically data files or resources within a system. In a security model, subjects are the active participants in an environment, such as users, applications, or systems that perform actions on objects like files or databases. Understanding this concept is fundamental for grasping how access controls and permissions function in information security, as subjects typically require authentication and authorization to perform their actions.

Option B accurately captures the essence of subjects in a cybersecurity framework. Individuals may be users who need to be authenticated before accessing data, while software processes can include applications running on a server that need to manipulate databases or file systems. This distinction is critical for designing secure systems that protect data integrity and confidentiality by properly managing who or what can access certain resources.

The other options do not embody the definition of subjects in this context. Network devices and physical components refer more to the infrastructure that supports the system rather than the actors within a system. Data files are the objects that subjects interact with, but they do not constitute subjects themselves.