| Temporary accounts are established as part of normal account activation procedures when there is a need for short-term accounts without the demand for immediacy in account activation. Temporary accounts are not to be confused with infrequently used accounts (e.g., local login accounts used for special tasks defined by organizations or when network resources are unavailable). Such accounts remain available and are not subject to automatic termination dates.
If these accounts remain active when no longer needed, they may be used to gain unauthorized access. The risk is greater for the IDPS since these accounts have elevated privileges. To mitigate this risk, automated termination of all temporary accounts must be set upon account creation.
This requirement is applicable for accounts created or maintained using the IDPS application itself rather than the underlying OS or an authentication server. Accounts created and maintained on AAA devices (e.g., RADIUS, LDAP, or Active Directory) are secured using the applicable security guide or STIG. |
