&#x27;Capability&#x27; in the system you describe is similar to a token issued (eg. against a session) in an RBAC system. They&#x27;re just different terminological approaches to the same fundamental problem: how to make dynamic ACLs that are manageable.<p>You can leave out tokens. You can leave out identities or assume them (eg. IIRC Linux&#x27;s OS-level capabilities assume this on a per-process or cgroup basis). You can add role-based inheritance, cache, expiry and other features. You can make it mandatory or discretionary. The overall model remains the same, and deserves to be discussed as such.<p>Perhaps in lieu of merging <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Computer_security_model" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Computer_security_model</a> should actually be populated with some text?<p>Reply to below: That all sounds reasonable enough, but possibly confuses academic theoretic fields with the mathematical reality of implementations (not that different, really, and explicable using arbitrary terminological preference) and is full of appeals to authority. It won&#x27;t do for a holistic explanation, which Wikipedia currently sorely lacks.<p>Reply to final part of below: Yes, I am aware you are talking about something different to linux caps. Perhaps you can define briefly the difference between an authentication token in any other security system and a capability in the terminology you are using? My interest is in the abstract model, not the implementation. If you are talking about the capsicum implementation, then it&#x27;s too specific as an OS-level implementation, the sort of thing Laurie encourages ignoring, and will almost certainly die a death of relative obscurity.<p>... in summary, my view is that they&#x27;re all just dynamic (feel free to read &quot;glorified&quot;) ACLs with differing terminological and philosophical approaches to the management of such. I remain unconvinced of the supposed uniqueness, at the basic model level of abstraction, of the academic field of capabilities based security as you describe them.