In the Windows operating system, all objects secured by the OS have four key properties:
- The owner
- The primary group
- Discretionary Access Control List (DACL)
- System Access Control List (SACL)
The DACL contains a set of individual permissions, known as Access Control Entries (ACEs), that define a particular permission. Each ACE contains properties that describe the permission, including a trustee (the security principal to whom you are giving this permission), a permission mask (what permission is being allowed or disallowed), and an ACE type (what type is allowed, disallowed). You can find details of the permission masks on the MSDN.