| Since the accounts in the network device are privileged or system level accounts, account management is vital to the security of the network device. Account management by a designated authority ensures access to the network device is being controlled in a secured manner by granting access to only authorized personnel with the appropriate and necessary privileges. Auditing account modification along with an automatic notification to appropriate individuals will provide the necessary reconciliation that account management procedures are being followed. If modifications to management accounts are not audited, reconciliation of account management procedures cannot be tracked.
This requirement is applicable to accounts created or maintained using the network device application itself rather than the underlying OS or an authentication server. Accounts created and maintained on an authentication server (e.g., RADIUS, LDAP, or Active Directory) are secured using the applicable security guide or STIG. |
