User Accounts

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Guest

I am running XP Pro and I am trying to figure out if there is a way to
prevent someone from creating their own user account when I am logged on as
an administrator. I have had this happen to me and I would like to prevent
it in the future.

If anyone can help me, I would greatly appreciate it!
 
RogerF said:
I am running XP Pro and I am trying to figure out if there is a way to
prevent someone from creating their own user account when I am logged on as
an administrator. I have had this happen to me and I would like to prevent
it in the future.
Click to expand...


How can "someone else" create user accounts, if you're the one whose
logged in to the computer? Do they knock you unconscious or something?
Do they threaten you with bodily harm if you don't step aside and let
them use your computer and account? This sounds like the sort of
problem that should be turned over to law enforcement personnel; there's
certainly no technical solution.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
 
I agree, this is a genuine concern, I've seen cases as far back as Windows 98
where a malicious user (a temp worker) created an addtional account to hide
their activities from the owner of the computer.

Unfortunately an Admin account can in principle do anything it likes, so
there is no total answer. However, you can remove the "Users" icon from
control panel, which will mitigate the risk. Setting auto-logon with
enforced logon will also make it difficult for the meddler to change user.

If you have a network, then MyLogon might be a better solution where the
computer performs a specific task, and thus must retain its settings. This
is designed to allow logon to the network without the settings of the local
computer changing. Thus, there is no need to allow a stand-in to work under
your username and password; they have one of their own.
 
Ian said:
I agree, this is a genuine concern, I've seen cases as far back as Windows 98
where a malicious user (a temp worker) created an addtional account to hide
their activities from the owner of the computer.

Unfortunately an Admin account can in principle do anything it likes, so
there is no total answer. However, you can remove the "Users" icon from
control panel, which will mitigate the risk. Setting auto-logon with
enforced logon will also make it difficult for the meddler to change user.

If you have a network, then MyLogon might be a better solution where the
computer performs a specific task, and thus must retain its settings. This
is designed to allow logon to the network without the settings of the local
computer changing. Thus, there is no need to allow a stand-in to work under
your username and password; they have one of their own.
Click to expand...

As you are replying to a thread from two days ago, could you please
follow usenet custom and quote the post you are replying to? it makes it
SO much easier for the majority of users who post and read here using a
news reader rather than the clunky web interface....
thank you.


http://www.netmeister.org/news/learn2quote.html
 
RogerF wrote:
Click to expand...
How can "someone else" create user accounts, if you're the one whose
logged in to the computer? Do they knock you unconscious or something?
Click to expand...

By any one of several ways to spoof either the system (exploits) or
the user (SE) during the user's logged-in session, as happens
thousands of times a day, all over the world.

That's one of the reasons UAC was added to Vista (or at least, one of
the reasons it is good to have it there).

Just because Fred logs in as Fred, doesn't mean that only things Fred
wanted to do will happen during Fred's logged-in session...


-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
Click to expand...
Running Windows-based av to kill active malware is like striking
a match to see if what you are standing in is water or petrol.
 
No, I will not.

What is more, I refuse to even read, let alone reply to, posts of this kind.

Gordon, if your newsreader cannot handle posts in some kind of hierarchical
order, then perhaps you should change your software so you don't need to keep
repeating earlier posts to the point where the whole thread becomes
illegible. This IS 2007, after all.

All together now:
"On the First Day of Christmas, My True Love Sent to Me..."
 
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