Internet from Admin a/c

  • Thread starter Thread starter Phil
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Phil

Hello,
I know it's not good practice but given a decent firewall how
much risk is there in accessing the Internet with an ADSL connection
from an Admin account?
Is there any way to increase security under these conditions?
I'm running XP Pro.

Background if you want to read further.
I'm the sole user of my PC. I'm tired of jumping back and forth from
User to Admin to access something that couldn't be with 'run as'.
I'm tired of programs (including games) that save settings separately
for each user and I can't seem to find a way to allow these settings
to be mirrored for every User.
Eg. got Paint Shop Pro set up the way I like it in Admin a/c. Try to
use it from User a/c and have to set everything up again.
Click to expand...

No problem However, I would rename the administrator account. Give it a
complex password (at least 8 characters, a combination of upper case
letters, lower case leters, numbers, and non-alphnumeric characters). Are
you using a router?
 
Hello,
I know it's not good practice but given a decent firewall how
much risk is there in accessing the Internet with an ADSL connection
from an Admin account?
Is there any way to increase security under these conditions?
I'm running XP Pro.

Background if you want to read further.
I'm the sole user of my PC. I'm tired of jumping back and forth from
User to Admin to access something that couldn't be with 'run as'.
I'm tired of programs (including games) that save settings separately
for each user and I can't seem to find a way to allow these settings to be
mirrored for every User.
Eg. got Paint Shop Pro set up the way I like it in Admin a/c. Try to use
it from User a/c and have to set everything up again.
 
No problem However, I would rename the administrator account. Give it a
complex password (at least 8 characters, a combination of upper case
letters, lower case leters, numbers, and non-alphnumeric characters). Are
you using a router?
Click to expand...

My mistake, I have a named account with full admin privileges.
My password is complex.
I'm have an Alcatel Speed Touch Home and am not using a router.
 
Bob Byrne said:
My mistake, I have a named account with full admin privileges.
My password is complex.
I'm have an Alcatel Speed Touch Home and am not using a router.
Click to expand...

If you want increased security, buy a router. This is the best/easiest
way to make your computer invisible from the outside. Routers are not
that expensive anymore. Other than that, make sure you aren't sharing
any files on your hard drive. Also, rename the administrator account
and make it's password complex. Do the same for any account that has
administrative control.

-Phil
 
I think in this case a router/firewall doesn't make much of a
difference. The risk of running with admin is that if you contract a
virus then it can do more damage. If you keep your system patched,
and don't execute untrusted code/attachments, then running as Admin is
probably fine. Also consider your risks, if you are running a machine
with senstive data then it may pay to be more careful. If you don't
have much to hide then it may not be worth the hassle.
Click to expand...

With a router you can be invisible to hackers. If you don't exist, you
greatly decrease your chances of anyone even trying to get to your stuff.

-Phil
 
Phil said:
With a router you can be invisible to hackers. If you don't exist, you
greatly decrease your chances of anyone even trying to get to your stuff.

-Phil
Click to expand...

A router will protect you from direct attacks like Code Red. However many
viruses are distributed via email attachments and a router won't help you
there. The recent buffer overflow in the Windows Media property extension
also wouldn't be protected by a router.
 
Ken Wickes said:
A router will protect you from direct attacks like Code Red. However many
viruses are distributed via email attachments and a router won't help you
there. The recent buffer overflow in the Windows Media property extension
also wouldn't be protected by a router.
Click to expand...

Thank everyone, I've been using the Net since before the WWW and I've
never had anyone hack or infect me in all that time. Admin/User accounts
and broadband however are new to me so I just want to be as safe as possible.
I don't have any sensitive data to worry about, I just want to eliminate the risk of
down time. I might invest in ZA Pro, I'm using the free version.
 
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