# Domain Accounts And Local Accounts

### Domain Accounts

#### What is a Domain Account?

A **domain account** is created and managed in **Active Directory** and authenticated by a **Domain Controller (DC)**.

Example:

```
DOMAIN\alice
```

#### Login Capability

✔ A domain account **can log in to any domain-joined machine**\
❌ **Unless restricted** by:

* “Allow log on locally”
* “Deny log on locally”
* GPOs
* Machine access restrictions

A domain account:

* ❌ Is **not automatically an admin** on every machine
* ✔ Can be **local admin on some machines**
* ❌ Can be a normal user on others

### Local Accounts

#### What is a Local Account?

A **local account** exists only in the **SAM database** of one machine.

Example:

```
WORKSTATION01\admin
```

#### Scope & Limitations

* ✔ Can log in **only to that machine**
* ❌ Cannot authenticate to the domain
* ❌ Cannot access domain resources (unless credentials reused)


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://gokulkarthik.gitbook.io/pentesting-checklist/others/miscellaneous/domain-accounts-and-local-accounts.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.