Account management is concerned with the creation, management, disabling, and termination of accounts. When the account is active, access control methods control what the user can do. Additionally, administrators can use access controls to control when and where users can log on.
If you’re planning on taking the Security+ exam, you should have a basic understanding of managing accounts such as disabling and deleting user accounts. For example, can you answer this question?
Q. A company’s account management policy dictates that administrators should disable user accounts instead of deleting them when an employee leaves the company. What security benefit does this provide?
A. Ensures that user keys are retained
B. Ensures that user files are retained
C. Makes it easier to enable the account if the employee returns
D. Ensures that users cannot log on remotely
More, do you know why the correct answer is correct and the incorrect answers are incorrect? The answer and explanation is available at the end of this post.
Full Security+ Course
SY0-601 Full Security+ Course
Helping you Pass the First Time
This course includes all of the multiple-choice practice test questions, performance-based questions, audio, and flashcards from the but adds the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-601 Study Guide within an online course.
Test your readiness with these quality materials
Here’s what you get
Random 75-question tests
Random practice tests from the all of the practice test questions in the
CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-601 Study Guide. All questions include explanations so you’ll know why the correct answers are correct, and why the incorrect answers are incorrect.
Performance-based Questions
These questions show you what you can expect in the live exam. They include drag and drop, matching, sorting, and fill in the blank questions.
Online Flashcard Set
Audio – SY0-601 Security+ Remember This Audio Files
Learn by Listening (MP3 downloads.)
Audio – SY0-601 Security+ Question and Answer Audio Files
Learn by Listening (MP3 downloads.)Bonus #1
The same set of questions organized by domain including questions in the
CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-601 Study Guide plus extra practice test questions.
Bonus #2
Audio from the end of chapter reviews from each of the chapters in the
CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-601 Study Guide.
Bonus #3
Access to all of the online content that is available for free to anyone that purchases the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-601 Study Guide. This includes labs, extra practice test questions, and supplementary materials.Bonus #4
Extended access. Access the study materials for a total of 60 days because sometimes life happens.Bonus #5
10% off Voucher Code. Access to a coupon code that will give you 10% off your exam voucher. At the current price of $370 USD for the Security+ voucher, this can save you $37.Get the SY0-601 Full Security+ Course Here
Disabling and Deleting User Accounts
Many organizations have account management policies (sometimes called account disablement policies) that specify how to manage accounts in different situations. For example, most organizations require administrators to disable user accounts as soon as possible when employees leave the organization.
Disabling is preferred over deleting the account, at least initially. If administrators delete the account, they also delete any encryption and security keys associated with the account. However, these keys are retained when the account is disabled. As an example, imagine that an employee encrypted files with his account. If the account was deleted, these files may remain encrypted forever unless the organization has a key escrow or recovery agent that can access the files.
Some contents of an account disablement policy include:
- Terminated employee. An account disablement policy specifies that accounts for ex-employees are disabled as soon as possible. This ensures a terminated employee doesn’t become a disgruntled ex-employee who wreaks havoc on the network. Note that “terminated” refers to both employees who resign and employees who are fired.
- Leave of absence. If an employee will be absent for an extended period, the account should be disabled while the employee is away. Organizations define extended period differently, with some organizations defining it as only two weeks, whereas other organizations extend it out to as long as two months.
- Delete account. When the organization determines the account is no longer needed, administrators delete it. For example, the policy may direct administrators to delete accounts that have been inactive for 60 or 90 days.

Many administrators routinely run scripts to identify inactive accounts. For example, it’s relatively simple in a Microsoft domain to run a script listing all enabled accounts that haven’t been used in the last 30 days. Administrators disable these accounts to prevent their use. Often these are accounts of ex-employees or temporary employees who are no longer at the organization. Ideally, the account disablement policy would ensure that the accounts are disabled as soon as the employee leaves, but the scripts provide an additional check to ensure inactive accounts are disabled.
CompTIA Security+ Study Guide
The
CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-601 Study Guide
is an update to the top-selling SY0-201, SY0-301, SY0-401, and SY0-501 study guides, which have helped thousands of readers pass the exam the first time they took it. It includes the same elements readers raved about in the previous four versions.
Each of the eleven chapters presents topics in an easy to understand manner and includes real-world examples of security principles in action.
You’ll understand the important and relevant security topics for the Security+ exam, without being overloaded with unnecessary details. Additionally, each chapter includes a comprehensive review section to help you focus on what’s important.

Over 300 realistic practice test questions with in-depth explanations will help you test your comprehension and readiness for the exam. The book includes:
- A 75 question pre-test
- A 75 question post-test
- Practice test questions at the end of every chapter.
Each practice test question includes a detailed explanation to help you understand the content and the reasoning behind the question. You’ll be ready to take and pass the exam the first time you take it.
If you plan to pursue any of the advanced security certifications, this guide will also help you lay a solid foundation of security knowledge. Learn this material, and you’ll be a step ahead for other exams. This SY0-601 study guide is for any IT or security professional interested in advancing in their field, and a must-read for anyone striving to master the basics of IT security.
Kindle edition also available.
Remember this
An account disablement policy identifies what to do with accounts for employees who leave permanently or on a leave of absence. Most policies require administrators to disable the account as soon as possible, so that ex-employees cannot use the account. Disabling the account ensures that data associated with it remains available. Security keys associated with an account remain available when the account is disabled, but are no longer accessible if the account is deleted.
Security+ (SY0-601) Practice Test Questions
SY0-601 Practice Test Questions
Over 385 realistic Security+ practice test questions
At least 10 performance-based questions
All questions include explanations so you’ll know why the correct answers are correct,
and why the incorrect answers are incorrect.
Upgrade Your Resume with the Security+ New Version
Multiple quiz formats to let you use these questions based on the way you learn.
- Learn mode – randomized. View each of the questions in random order. Learn mode allows you to keep selecting answers until you select the correct answer. Once you select the correct answer, you’ll see the explanation. Click here to see how learn mode works.
- Test mode – randomized. View each of the questions in random order. In test mode, you can only see the correct answers and explanations after you complete the test. Click here to see how test mode works.
- Test mode – 75 random questions. View 75 random questions from the full test bank similar to how the Security+ exam has a potential maximum of 75 multiple choice questions.
Pass the First Time You Take It
Get the full bank of SY0-601 Practice Test Questions Here
Click here if you’re looking for SY0-501 Online Study Package
Q. A company’s account management policy dictates that administrators should disable user accounts instead of deleting them when an employee leaves the company. What security benefit does this provide?
A. Ensures that user keys are retained
B. Ensures that user files are retained
C. Makes it easier to enable the account if the employee returns
D. Ensures that users cannot log on remotely
Answer is A. User accounts typically have security keys associated with them. These keys are retained when the account is disabled, but they are no longer accessible when the account is deleted.
By disabling the account, it helps ensure that access to files is retained, but it does not directly retain user files.
Employees who leave are not expected to return, so this policy has nothing to do with making it easier to enable an account when they return.
Users will not be able to use the accounts locally or remotely if they are disabled or deleted, which is a primary reason to have an account management policy.
See Chapter 2 of the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-401 Study Guide for more information on implementing logical access controls.