Which of the following is a characteristic of shared or generic accounts?

Shared or generic accounts are primarily characterized by their use by multiple people. This means that more than one individual has access to the same account credentials, making it distinct from accounts meant for single users. Such accounts are often created for convenience in environments where individuals need to collaborate or access shared resources without having to maintain separate credentials for everyone involved.

This practice, however, raises potential security risks since it complicates the ability to track individual actions and hold users accountable. Since multiple users can access the same account, identifying the responsible party for specific actions taken under that account can be difficult. Despite these security implications, shared accounts can be useful in certain scenarios, such as in a temporary guest access situation or in environments with high turnover.

The other choices do not accurately describe shared accounts. A shared account is not restricted to access by a single individual, nor is it limited to guest access. Additionally, while it may be involved in system-level configurations in some instances, this is not a defining characteristic of shared accounts.