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Account Management

5 minutes 5 Questions

Account management is the process of controlling and managing access to network resources and services by creating, modifying, and maintaining user accounts and their associated permissions. This process is critical for ensuring the security and integrity of a network, as well as protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access. Appropriate account management practices include defining user roles and permissions, enforcing password policies, auditing user activities, and implementing access controls for different network devices and services. By implementing strong account management procedures, administrators can reduce the risk of unauthorized access, ensure that only authorized users have access to specific resources, and maintain an audit trail of user activities for security and compliance purposes.

Guide: Account Management for CompTIA Network+

Why it is important:
Account Management is a crucial aspect of network administration. It involves creating, managing, and securing user accounts and their access rights to the network resources. Good account management practices enhance network security, accountability and can help in avoiding potential security breaches.

What it is:
Account Management is the process of managing and administering the user accounts in a network. It includes the creation, deletion, and modification of user accounts, setting access permissions, and managing passwords. It also includes logging and auditing account activities for compliance and forensic requirements.

How it works:
Network administrators use various tools and software for account management. They create user accounts and setup access permissions based on the least privilege principle. They monitor user activity, enforce password policies, and maintain audit logs.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Account Management:
When answering questions regarding account management on your exam, remember the importance of least privilege, regular auditing, adherence to password policies, and the significance of logging activities. Try to understand the practical aspects of account management and apply them in scenario-based questions. Remember, answering 'why' a certain best practice is used could often be part of the answer.
Be prepared to answer questions about different tools, software, and commands used in account management.

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CompTIA Network+ - Network Monitoring Example Questions

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Question 1

A network engineer must limit access to certain network resources based on user roles within the company. Which of the following should be implemented to achieve this?

Correct Answer: Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

The best answer to limit access to certain network resources based on user roles within the company is Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). This system works by assigning roles to users, and permissions to roles. Hence, users gain access to network resources based on their roles, effectively limiting the access as required. On the other hand, Network Address Translation (NAT) is a method that reassigns IP address information, which doesn't deal with user roles or access control. Quality of Service (QoS) refers to managing network resources to provide a certain level of performance. It also isn't specifically designed for access control. Lastly, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a protocol used to assign IP addresses and other network settings to devices on a network but does not manage user roles or permissions.

Question 2

Your organization is onboarding multiple new employees with different job roles. As a network administrator, you need to assign these employees permissions based on their job roles. Which account management best practice should you apply?

Correct Answer: Implement the principle of least privilege

The principle of least privilege (PoLP) is the practice of limiting access rights for users to the bare minimum permissions they need to perform their work. This enhances security and reduces potential for malicious or accidental damage of the system. Implementing this principle in the given scenario will ensure that each new employee is given permissions according to their job role, nothing more or less. Assigning all users the same permissions or giving all users administrative privileges are not best practices and certainly can lead to security vulnerabilities. Similarly, permissions should not be granted based on a user’s length of service as the type and level of access required is not necessarily correlated with the duration for which an employee has been in service.

Question 3

A network administrator is tasked with maintaining the user account security within the company. One day, a user complains about unauthorized access to their account. Which of the following account management practices should the network administrator implement to improve security?

Correct Answer: Enforce strong password policies

To improve account security, the network administrator should 'Enforce strong password policies'. Strong password policies might include requirements for password length, complexity and expiration. This makes it more difficult for unauthorized users to access the account. On the other hand, 'Give all users administrative access' would actually reduce security, as more users would be able to alter critical system settings. Similarly, 'Use a single shared account for all users' would not improve security because if the shared user account's security is compromised, it would affect all users. Moreover, 'Disable account lockout policies' means that an attacker could try to guess the password unlimited times without being locked out, which would make it easier for them to gain unauthorized access.

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