Test Accounts: A Hidden Risk: You may decide the risks are acceptable. But, if not, here are some rules for avoiding them.

A test account that's shared among many can be used by anyone who happens to have the password. This leaves a trail of poorly managed or unmanaged accounts that only increases your attack surface. A test account could be a treasure trove of information, even revealing information about internal system details. If you really need to take this approach, give your developers their own test accounts and then educate them about the risks of misusing these accounts. Also, if you can periodically expire these accounts, all the better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]