Re: Security (was: Why there is no space left on root partition?)
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John Hasler wrote:
> Sven Arvidsson writes:
>
>>I'm not a Windows user myself, but I hear of many Windows users who
>>actually know that they shouldn't run as admin but are forced to do so
>>because a lot of applications, installers and games simply will not run
>>on an unprivileged account.
>
>
> Nothing forces them to run those applications.
No, but there are several factors to consider:
- - you don't know until you actually try to run the program whether or
not it requires administrative privileges to run. I have yet to find a
retailer who would allow you to return software that has been opened and
installed.
- - It is difficult to tell a young child they can't run a game based on
their favourite movie/tv show/whatever because of security concerns.
- - most Windows users would not have any clue on how to tweak their
system to allow the programs to run as a Limited User (i.e.
non-administrative - dontcha love Microsoft's terminology here?). In
most cases, I've found that it's simply a matter of granting LUs write
privileges to the directory where the program is installed, and to the
registry for the program.
- - most users are probably not aware of the Windows command "runas",
which functions similarly to 'su'.
> If they really cared about
> security they would refuse to buy such programs and the publishers would
> get the message.
And that's the problem: most home users don't know that they _should_
care about security. They're happy to plug in the computer, boot it up,
and have it work. They don't realize that a large number of malware
(including Sony's infamous rootkit) would be stopped dead in their
tracks if people would just stop running with admin privileges.
But then, I'm preaching to the choir here, aren't I? :=)
- --
Jim Hyslop
Dreampossible: Better software. Simply. http://www.dreampossible.ca
Consulting * Mentoring * Training in
C/C++ * OOD * SW Development & Practices * Version Management
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