How To Reduce System Vulnerability

Never does a day go by without at least one client calling to report a security related problem. More often than not, it's a problem with a computer they have at home rather than one at work.

We universally ask the same question -- at the time of the problem (or system infestation), were you signed on as a user with administrator rights on the system. The answer is almost universally "YES".

The byline of an article I read earlier today says "Removing admin rights stymies 92% of Microsoft's bugs." Believe me, folks, 92% is a BIG NUMBER when you consider the number of bugs reported to Microsoft.

Having less than administrator rights makes operating a computer a little cumbersome -- it means that you may not be able to install software or add printers to your machine. There are also a few programs (e.g., some versions of QuickBooks) that expect you to be signed on as a user with administrator rights; but there are usually ways around that.

So what do I suggest. Have two (2) user accounts on your PC and ALWAYS use the user account unless you absolutely need to do something that requires administrator priviledges. That's not nearly as big a problem now as it used to be anyway; because in most instances you can "Run As Administrator" when installing software even if your user account has less than administrator priviledge so long as you know the right passcode.

Try this, you'll like it and find your system stability to improve.