Microsoft finds more 'critical' flaws in Windows

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They don't appear to distinguish admin from root.

On Mac OS X, the default account is an admin account, because
you need to be able to configure the system when you set the
machine up. Most users never create a standard user account for
themselves, but that's not a problem because admin users still
have authenticate every time they install something or change
configuration settings.

And then there's root. There is a root account that most users
never access, but if you want to, you can set up a password and
log in as root. Most users who figure out how to do this also
figure out what the risks are and how to avoid them. In fact, one
of the reasons people have for setting up the root account is to
set up higher security features like the firmware password,
which makes it impossible to boot the machine with a CD or
other bootable device without entering that password.

The problem with WIndows is that you're not just running as
admin right out of the box. You're running as root.

Posted by: Immanuel Tranz-Mischen   Posted on: 07/13/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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