CBAC

CBAC is an acronym that can refer to more than one concept, depending on the context. In networking, Context-Based Access Control (CBAC) is a Cisco IOS feature that provides stateful inspection of traffic passing through a router. It monitors the state of connections and applies dynamic access controls, allowing return traffic for inquiries initiated from inside the network and supporting protocol-specific gateways for certain applications. CBAC uses the inspect mechanism on interfaces to apply protocol-aware rules and can work with traditional access lists to permit or deny traffic based on connection state and context. It has historically been used to enable firewall-like behavior on Cisco routers and to support applications that require multiple data channels, such as FTP.

In other domains, CBAC is used as an acronym for various organizations and initiatives. Examples include terms like a Central Bank Advisory Council or a Community-Based Advisory Committee, among others. The exact meaning of CBAC in a given document or setting depends on the jurisdiction and organization involved. In contemporary Cisco deployments, CBAC functionality has largely been superseded by more modern firewall architectures, notably Zone-Based Firewall, which provides more granular and scalable policy control.