# orphaned-account

Source: https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/orphaned-account/
Last updated: 2026-08-29
License: content by Start with Identity. Cite the source URL.

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An active account with no valid owner, typically left behind after someone leaves or changes roles. A common audit finding and a soft target for attackers.

Orphaned accounts are dangerous precisely because they are boring: no owner means no one notices the login, no password change, and no MFA enrollment. They cluster in the systems outside SSO, in local admin accounts on appliances, and in service accounts created for a project that ended. Reconciling every account against an authoritative owner is the only reliable way to find them.

See also: [deprovisioning](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/deprovisioning/), [what is IGA](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/fundamentals/what-is-iga/), [joiner-mover-leaver](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/joiner-mover-leaver/), [access certification](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/access-certification/)