Which term denotes a state where an account exists without an active user?

Which term denotes a state where an account exists without an active user?

• A. Inactive Accounts
• B. Orphan Accounts
• C. Access Control Processes
• D. Process Improvements

Answer: (B)

Orphan accounts describe a situation where an account still exists in the system but has no active user linked to it. This happens when provisioning or deprovisioning isn’t fully reconciled—such as when a user leaves or their role changes and the associated account isn’t cleaned up—leaving a credential that can be misused or harder to audit. The risk is that someone could access resources through that lingering account without an accountable user. Inactive accounts refer to accounts tied to active users who simply haven’t used the system in a while, so the user relationship still exists. The other options are unrelated to the concept of an account lacking an active user association.

Orphan accounts describe a situation where an account still exists in the system but has no active user linked to it. This happens when provisioning or deprovisioning isn’t fully reconciled—such as when a user leaves or their role changes and the associated account isn’t cleaned up—leaving a credential that can be misused or harder to audit. The risk is that someone could access resources through that lingering account without an accountable user.

Inactive accounts refer to accounts tied to active users who simply haven’t used the system in a while, so the user relationship still exists. The other options are unrelated to the concept of an account lacking an active user association.