We use a very old piece of software for viewing drawings which needs to have certain files created in the profile directory (eg; C:\Documents and Settings\User1\Special Directory\Special File.file), this application will not function without the presence of this special file in a particular folder within the users profile. This could loosely impact SOX general IT controls over system access, but each company is allowed to set its own level of risk and establish controls that monitor risk at those levels. While I see no major issues with what’s being proposed, below are some ideas that may or may not be feasible for your environment: As I see it, if the purpose of the generic names are just to allow read-only access, then I do not see a SOX issue as data cannot be changed. That’s especially true for mid-size and enterprise organizations that use Active Directory. As network security depends on personal accountability and generic network accounts do not provide this, generic network accounts are forbidden. (Unlock this solution with a 7-day Free Trial). Users should submit a TS Job Request when requesting a generic network account for your area. 2. I believe this might be ‘better security practice’ as it establishes individualized accountability and might allow users better individual D-and-S profile controls and customizations. 2. The Account … When software resets D-and-S profiles, it requires extra time and customizations desired by the user are reset to factory defaults Guidelines for using generic/role accounts. a) Don’t have the two ‘guest’ users logout thus eliminating the extra work or logout only occasionally thus at least minimizing the extra work, although I can think of several situations where this might not work. for the accounts; The owner must ensure that all users abide by the UCL Computing Regulations. There are no detailed specifics on a situation like this, as SOX 404 is written at a high level and requires internal regulation by the company (with verification of SOX compliancy by external auditing firms). https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/27596941/Generic-Usernames-and-risks.html. I agree that your current implementation is cumbersome for users and should be improved. If you wish to use a role account for email collaboration, you should use a shared mailbox. A generic user account is created on the principle of ‘least privilege’ so if access is not explicitly granted then it’s explicitly denied. I’ve come across a situation where I feel that our network manager is using SOX as an excuse for not implementing a fix to this problem. Consider the complexity and risk of managing privileged passwords for service accounts, between applications (A2A), and to databases (A2DB). Access to generic user accounts Like a lot of other application software, SAP comes with a number of generic accounts. The user is only granted access to what they need, for everything else they will get ‘Access Denied’ so from an auditing point of view our inherent security should be good enough. Here are two that may or may not be of value: When allowing multiple user access to a generic account, a lack of proper management can result. I will leave this open for security misc and OS individuals for comments as it applied to both AD accounts and certain applications. In a business situation under Sarbox (I work at a private company not subject to Sarbox) it would make sense to me that all users have their own logons (i.e. We help IT Professionals succeed at work. In many cases, “service accounts” are highly privileged, being members of either a local administrators group on a given set of systems, or in extreme cases, being … The network manager here says that he does not want to add the users to ‘Domain Users’ because it violates our SOX compliancy, my question is does SOX have anything to do with it in this case? b) Create a script or batch file that could copy the necessary file(s) automatically. SOX 404 mandates that management implements controls to protect all automated financial systems. Everything your solution provider does should be about reducing the interfaces and administration required. Evaluate moving to non-password security control systems , like biometrics, smart cards, or two factor authentication, It might be worthwhile to ‘walk this through’ with either Internal Audit or your external IT auditors to get their input, alternatives, or blessings. 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