What is the difference between a user, a service account, and a guest account?

• A. User is a person; service account is for applications/services with non-interactive use; guest account is external collaborator with restricted access.
• B. User accounts are for applications; service accounts for humans; guest is internal staff.
• C. Guest accounts are full admins.
• D. Service accounts require MFA.

Answer: (A)

Understanding account types by purpose helps you assign the right access controls. A user is a person who logs in interactively with credentials to perform tasks. A service account is created for applications or services to run automated tasks without human interaction, using non-interactive credentials such as keys or secrets. A guest account is for external collaborators and is typically given restricted access to a limited set of resources.

This aligns with the best answer because it accurately describes who uses each type and how they authenticate: a person, a non-human application/service, and an external collaborator with limited access.

Why the other statements don’t fit: saying a user account is for applications reverses the roles; stating a guest account is for internal staff mischaracterizes its purpose; and claiming service accounts require MFA isn’t a defining rule, since they often rely on non-interactive credentials rather than human MFA.