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The document discusses the different User Account Control settings in Windows and their impact on security. It describes the Always Notify, Notify Only When Programs Try to Make Changes, Notify Only When Programs Try to Make Changes Without Dimming the Desktop, and Never Notify settings and what each means for security.

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malik00018
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26 views11 pages

Cid

The document discusses the different User Account Control settings in Windows and their impact on security. It describes the Always Notify, Notify Only When Programs Try to Make Changes, Notify Only When Programs Try to Make Changes Without Dimming the Desktop, and Never Notify settings and what each means for security.

Uploaded by

malik00018
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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<HTML><META HTTP-EQUIV="content-type" CONTENT="text/html;charset=utf-8">

<P class=contentContainer>

<H1 class=title>What are User Account Control settings?</H1>

<P class=para></P>

<P class=para>User Account Control (UAC) notifies you before changes are made to

your computer that require <A class=glossaryEntryLink title="View definition"

href="mshelp://windows/?id=5da478b2-d29c-495d-8e64-
94b922a43b32#gtmt_administrator_account_def">administrator</A>-level

permission. The default UAC setting notifies you when programs try to make

changes to your computer, but you can control how often you are notified by UAC

by adjusting the settings.</P>

<P class=para>The following table provides a description of the UAC settings and

the potential impact of each setting to the security of your computer.</P>


<TABLE class=table summary="Table describing UAC settings">

<THEAD class=tableHeader>

<TR class=row>

<TH class=headerEntry>

<P class=para>Setting</P></TH>

<TH class=headerEntry>

<P class=para>Description</P></TH>

<TH class=headerEntry>

<P class=para>Security Impact</P></TH></TR></THEAD>

<TBODY>

<TR class=row>

<TD class=entry>

<P class=para>Always notify</P></TD>

<TD class=entry>
<UL class=unordered>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>You will be notified before programs make changes to your computer

or to <SPAN class=notLocalizable>Windows</SPAN> settings that require the

permissions of an administrator.</P>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>When you're notified, your desktop will be dimmed, and you must

either approve or deny the request in the UAC dialog box before you can do

anything else on your computer. The dimming of your desktop is referred to as

the <SPAN class=newTerm>secure desktop</SPAN> because other programs can't


run

while it's dimmed.</P></LI></UL></TD>

<TD class=entry>

<UL class=unordered>
<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>This is the most secure setting.</P>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>When you are notified, you should carefully read the contents of

each dialog box before allowing changes to be made to your

computer.</P></LI></UL></TD></TR>

<TR class=row>

<TD class=entry>

<P class=para>Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my

computer</P></TD>

<TD class=entry>

<UL class=unordered>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>You will be notified before programs make changes to your computer
that require the permissions of an administrator.</P>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>You will not be notified if you try to make changes to <SPAN

class=notLocalizable>Windows</SPAN> settings that require the permissions of an

administrator.</P>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>You will be notified if a program outside of <SPAN

class=notLocalizable>Windows</SPAN> tries to make changes to a <SPAN

class=notLocalizable>Windows</SPAN> setting.</P></LI></UL></TD>

<TD class=entry>

<UL class=unordered>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>It's usually safe to allow changes to be made to <SPAN

class=notLocalizable>Windows</SPAN> settings without you being notified.


However, certain programs that come with <SPAN

class=notLocalizable>Windows</SPAN> can have commands or data passed to them,

and malicious software can take advantage of this by using these programs to

install files or change settings on your computer. You should always be careful

about which programs you allow to run on your


computer.</P></LI></UL></TD></TR>

<TR class=row>

<TD class=entry>

<P class=para>Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer

(do not dim my desktop)</P></TD>

<TD class=entry>

<UL class=unordered>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>You will be notified before programs make changes to your computer
that require the permissions of an administrator.</P>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>You will not be notified if you try to make changes to <SPAN

class=notLocalizable>Windows</SPAN> settings that require the permissions of an

administrator.</P>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>You will be notified if a program outside of <SPAN

class=notLocalizable>Windows</SPAN> tries to make changes to a <SPAN

class=notLocalizable>Windows</SPAN> setting.</P></LI></UL></TD>

<TD class=entry>

<UL class=unordered>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>This setting is the same as "Notify only when programs try to make

changes to my computer," but you are not notified on the secure desktop.</P>
<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>Because the UAC dialog box isn't on the secure desktop with this

setting, other programs might be able to interfere with the dialog's visual

appearance. This is a small security risk if you already have a malicious

program running on your computer.</P></LI></UL></TD></TR>

<TR class=row>

<TD class=entry>

<P class=para>Never notify</P></TD>

<TD class=entry>

<UL class=unordered>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>You will not be notified before any changes are made to your

computer. If you are logged on as an administrator, programs can make changes to

your computer without you knowing about it.</P>


<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>If you are logged on as a standard user, any changes that require

the permissions of an administrator will automatically be denied.</P>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>If you select this setting, you will need to restart the computer

to complete the process of turning off UAC. Once UAC is off, people that log on

as administrator will always have the permissions of an

administrator.</P></LI></UL></TD>

<TD class=entry>

<UL class=unordered>

<LI class=listItem>

<P class=para>This is the least secure setting. When you set UAC to never

notify, you open up your computer to potential security risks.</P>

<LI class=listItem>
<P class=para>If you set UAC to never notify, you should be careful about which

programs you run, because they will have the same access to the computer as you

do. This includes reading and making changes to protected system areas, your

personal data, saved files, and anything else stored on the computer. Programs

will also be able to communicate and transfer information to and from anything

your computer connects with, including the

Internet.</P></LI></UL></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

<UL class=procedure>

<LI class=step>

<P class=para><A class=shellExecuteLink

title="Click to open User Account Settings in Control Panel"

href="shortcut:%25systemroot%25\system32\UserAccountControlSettings.exe"></
A><IMG

src="mshelp://help/?id=Microsoft.Windows.Resources.ShellExecuteTopicIcon"
helpImage="ShellExecute"><A class=shellExecuteLink

title="Click to open User Account Settings in Control Panel"

href="shortcut:%25systemroot%25\system32\UserAccountControlSettings.exe">Click

to open User Account Control Settings.</A></P></LI></UL></DIV>

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