canonical account - technical definition

An account that has the same structure and password on all systems or software at the time of installation. Examples include voice-mail accounts that use their own extension number as their passwords, support accounts whose canonical passwords are always "support" and guest accounts with inappropriate access control lists.

Canonical passwords should be changed immediately to prevent exploitation. The security attributes of such accounts should be evaluated and changed to meet the specific needs of the systems on which they have been installed. See canonical password.