A linked account is an account that is associated with another account to enable the password management process. A linked account can be used for various purposes, such as logging on to a target system, changing the password of another account, or enabling privileged commands. A linked account can be defined either on the platform level or on the account level, depending on the type and scope of the linked account. The types of linked accounts that are supported by CyberArk are1:
Logon account: An account that contains the password required to log on to a remote machine in order to perform a task using the regular account. A common use case for using a logon account is managing root accounts on a Unix system. The best practice for Unix systems is to disallow the root user from logging in using SSH. However, SSH is what the CPM uses to sign in to a system to manage the password. To manage the root password without violating this practice, the CPM establishes the session with a non-root account and then SUs to root (the target account). This is done using a linked account called a logon account.
Reconcile account: An account that contains the password used in reconciliation processes. Reconciliation is a process that restores the password of a privileged account to the value that is stored in the Vault, in case it is changed or out of sync. A reconcile account is a privileged account that has the permission to reset the password of another account on the target system. By associating a reconcile account with the target account, the CPM can use the reconcile account to restore the password of the target account, in case it is changed or out of sync.
Other additional accounts: Additional accounts can be used in various cases. For example:
Enable password: when managing network devices that require an enable password to access privileged mode.
Jump account: when using a custom plugin in a complex work flow that requires to first log on to a jump server.
The other options are not the purpose of a linked account, because:
A. To ensure that a particular collection of accounts all have the same password. This is not the purpose of a linked account, but of a group account. A group account is an account that is associated with multiple target systems that share the same credentials. A group account allows the CPM to manage the password of multiple systems with a single password object in the Vault2.
B. To ensure a particular set of accounts all change at the same time. This is not the purpose of a linked account, but of a password change schedule. A password change schedule is a feature that allows the administrator to define a time frame for changing the passwords of a set of accounts. A password change schedule can be configured either in the Master Policy or in the Platform settings3.
C. To connect the CPNI to a target system. This is not the purpose of a linked account, but of a service account. A service account is an account that is used by a service or an application to connect to a target system. A service account can be managed by the Central Credential Provider (CCP), which is a component that provides applications and services with the credentials they need to access target systems4.
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