What is the potential risk associated with shared accounts for database administrators?

Shared accounts for database administrators pose a significant risk primarily because they create challenges in determining accountability and tracing user actions. When multiple individuals use the same account, it becomes extremely difficult to identify which user made a specific change or accessed sensitive data. This lack of individual identification can hinder responsibilities and lead to issues in auditing and compliance, as organizations rely on clear records of user activities for security and operational integrity.

The use of shared accounts can also result in a diluted sense of responsibility, as users might not feel personally accountable for their actions when they know that their activities are not directly tied to their individual identities. This can lead to careless behavior regarding data access and changes, which could potentially compromise the security of the database.

Additionally, it complicates troubleshooting and issue resolution since logs will only show the shared account activity without pinpointing who specifically performed an action. This lack of granularity complicates security analysis and forensic investigations in the event of a security incident. Thus, the correct choice highlights a critical risk associated with the use of shared accounts among database administrators.