User manual MICROSOFT WINDOWS VISTA INTRODUCING

[. . . ] Stanek PUBLISHED BY Microsoft Press A Division of Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington 98052-6399 Copyright © 2006 by Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 978-0-7356-2284-5 ISBN-10: 0-7356-2284-1 Library of Congress Control Number 2006924470 Printed and bound in the United States of America. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. [. . . ] This means that an application started by a member of the local Administrators group runs with all the rights and privileges of a local administrator. Chapter 9: Protecting User Accounts and Using Parental Controls 131 Standard users Standard users run applications with a user account and are members of the Users group. When a user starts an application, her access token and its associated privileges are applied to the application at run time. This means that an application started by a member of the Users group runs with the rights and privileges of a standard user. In Windows Vista, many common tasks can be performed with a standard user account, and users should log on using accounts with standard user privileges. Whenever a user attempts to perform a task that requires administrator permissions, the user sees a Windows Security dialog box containing a warning prompt. The way the prompt works depends on whether the user is logged on with an administrator account or a standard user account: Users with administrator permissions are asked for confirmation. Users with standard accounts are asked to provide a password for an administrator account. Administrator users run as standard users until an application or system component that requires administrative credentials requests permission to run. Windows Vista determines whether a user needs elevated permissions to run a program by supplying most applications and processes with a security token. Windows Vista uses the token as follows: If an application or process has an "administrator" token, elevated privileges are required to run the application or process, and Windows Vista will prompt the user for permission confirmation prior to running the application. If an application or process has a "standard" token or an application cannot be identified as an administrator application, elevated privileges are not required to run the application or process, and Windows Vista will start it as a standard application by default. By requiring that all users run in standard user mode and by limiting administrator-level access to authorized processes, UAC reduces the exposure and attack surface of the operating system. The process of getting an administrator or standard user's approval prior to running an application in administrator mode and prior to performing actions that change system-wide settings is known as elevation, and this feature is known as Admin Approval Mode. Elevation enhances security and reduces the impact of malicious software by: Ensuring that users are notified when they are about to perform an action that could impact system settings, such as installing an application. Eliminating the ability for malicious software to invoke administrator privileges without a user's knowledge. Preventing users, and the applications they are running, from making unauthorized or accidental system-wide changes to operating system settings. Protecting administrator applications from attacks by standard applications and processes. 132 Part III: Securing Windows Vista Elevation is a new feature and a permanent change to the Windows operating system. Tip Elevation affects not only users and administrators, but developers as well. Developers must design their programs so that everyday users can complete basic tasks without requiring administrator privileges. A key part of this is determining which of the two levels of privilege their applications need to complete specific procedures. If an application doesn't need administrator privileges for a task, it should be written to require only standard user privileges. As an example, a standard user­compliant application should write data files only to a nonsystem location, such as the user profile folder. Navigating the User Account Changes User Account Control is designed to make it easier to protect computers while ensuring that users can perform the tasks they need to perform. As part of the restructuring for UAC, many changes have been made to user accounts and privileges. These changes are designed to ensure that there is true separation of user and administrator tasks, and that any tasks that have minimal system impact and potential for risk can be performed using standard user accounts. [. . . ] To connect to one of these networks, you must obtain the key from your network administrator or the service provider. Connecting to Public Wireless Networks When connecting to public networks, you might be asked to set up an account and save files to your computer. Before you do this, however, make sure that you understand which files, if any, are saved to your computer and what type of information the network provider collects from your computer. Read the service provider's privacy statement carefully, and keep in mind that even if the service provider requires you to create an account, that doesn't mean that the connection you are using is secure. Chapter 12: Networking Your Computer 203 Caution You should be wary of working on company-sensitive information or accessing password-protected areas of your business network while you are connected to a public network. If you connect to a network that is not secure, anyone with the right tools can intercept the data being transmitted from your computer, and they would see any user names and passwords you use, the Web sites you visit, the documents you work on, and the messages you send. You can view and connect to a public wireless network in the same way as you can connect to an available wireless network: 1. [. . . ]