Reference:In ServiceNow, access to knowledge base (KB) articles is controlled by user criteria. If a knowledge base hasno access details specified, it means thatthere are no restrictions appliedto it. In this case, any active user in the systemcan read the articles in that knowledge base.
Knowledge Base Access Control:By default, access to a knowledge base is managed throughuser criteria.
If no user criteria (read or write access) are defined,all authenticated users(any active user with a ServiceNow account) can view the articles.
Guests (unauthenticated users)do not have access unless specifically allowed via the Public setting.
Why Other Answers Are Incorrect:A. itil users- Theitilrole provides access to incident management and other ITSM functions but does not automatically grant access to knowledge bases unless explicitly configured.
B). Any user with an article's permalink- A permalink only works if the user has the appropriate permissions to access the knowledge base. If access is restricted, the permalink alone won't grant visibility.
D). No users- If no access details are specified, the default behavior is that allactiveusers can access the articles.
E). Users with kb_user role- Thekb_userrole allows users tocontributeto knowledge bases, but it is not a default requirement for reading articles.
References from Certified System Administrator (CSA) Official Documentation:ServiceNow Knowledge Management: User Criteria & Access Control ServiceNow CSA Training Module:"Knowledge Management Access Control & Permissions"