Overview: License Sharing

Quick Definition

License Sharing refers to situations in which two or more users regularly use a single username and password to log into and use a software-as-a-service (SaaS) application. This behavior often runs against organizational policy, for several reasons.

First, the sharing of login credentials increases risks for various forms of illicit account use since user logins and passwords are regrettably often reused on multiple systems. Second, attribution becomes difficult or impossible when multiple users share a single login, making it difficult to remedy or identify the source of malicious or inadvertently damaging behavior. Third, shared account use often violates SaaS platform licensure rules, creating liability risk for the organization using the application.