The IT department has setup a website with a series of questions to allow end users to reset their own
accounts. Which of the following account management practices does this help?

A.
Account Disablements

B.
Password Expiration

C.
Password Complexity

D.
Password Recovery

Explanation:
People tend to forget their own passwords and because a user’s password in not stored on the operating
system, only a hash value is kept and most operating systems allows the administrator to change thevalue meaning that the password can then be recovered. If you allow end users to reset their own
accounts then the password recovery process is helped along.
Incorrect Answers:
A: Account disablements is akin to locking an account when users may be going on leave, or leave the
company, etc. this is not aided in any way when you allow end users to reset their own accounts.
B: Password expiration is a practice that should be implemented to mitigate security risks since the longer
a password is in use, the easier it can be broken. This has nothing to do with resetting account passwords.
C: Password complexity refers to the difficulty degree in the password. The more difficult/complex, the
more difficult is will be for miscreant to guess the passwords. This is not allowing end users to reset their
own accounts.

Dulaney, Emmett and Chuck Eastton, CompTIA Security+ Study Guide, 6th Edition, Sybex, Indianapolis,
2014, pp. 139-140