Role-based access control (RBAC) is the primary capability and cornerstone of Snowflake's security model. Access to any securable object is managed through privileges granted to roles, which are then assigned to users. This granular and flexible model dictates who can access what data and perform which operations within the platform, forming the foundation of Snowflake's access control framework.

A. Automated data masking is a specific data governance feature built on top of the core RBAC model, not the primary capability itself.

B. Network policies are one layer of security, but RBAC is the fundamental model for controlling access within the platform itself.

D. End-to-end encryption is a critical, always-on security feature that protects data from external threats, but RBAC is the capability for managing authorized access within Snowflake.

- Snowflake Documentation, "Overview of Access Control": "Access control privileges are granted to roles, which are in turn assigned to users... This is Snowflake’s implementation of Role-based Access Control (RBAC)."

- Snowflake Documentation, "Summary of Security Features": This page lists multiple features, but "Access Control" (which is RBAC) is presented as the foundational model for managing user access to objects.