Microsoft Blunder

[jcdux]

or..
VNC from AT & T
& Free! (under GNU)

[shkuey]

VNC is the ****, heh, anyway.

XP is an activated terminal server by default, though I think they call it remote desktop sharing or some such nonsense. It's not a door left wide open, it does require authentication.

Windows 2000 does not share it's drives publicly by default, it has four administrative shares, the root of the drive, the systemroot, the printers(if you have any) and IPC. Connecting to any of those shares requires authentication by an administrator.

While windows may have it's security problems, it's not just something you can point your remote control clients at and take over.

[larryjs]

Originally posted by uraloony
Sure, Windows is not the most secure OS, but look at it this way. It made stupid people look smart by using computers and changed the industry forever.

hear hear.. I agree
but can you at least give them some credit? They are a primary cause for the internet boom. It allowed mainstream users easy and simple access.Poeple who are Doctors and Lawyers do not have time to become computer DWEEBS.

[ThePreacher]

I feel sorry for the people at microsoft. They have good intensions in mind, but have no idea that these could cause huge security problems. You wonder if anyone at microsoft even thought that this might be a problem as the product was being released. The people on the lower levels probably gave warnings, but the corporate wanted results and that is what the got. If this was a baseball game microsoft would have been struck out a long time ago for their poor security.

[s0nIc]

Windows 2000 does not share it's drives publicly by default, it has four administrative shares, the root of the drive, the systemroot, the printers(if you have any) and IPC. Connecting to any of those shares requires authentication by an administrator

im not sure what u meant by "drives" but im damn hell as sure that the Hard Drive or the C: drive is on public share.. i encountered this problem a lot of times.. I checked the sharing permissions and it says "everyone" has full access just like the admin does.. they can read, write, modify, delete and all that..

[s0nIc]

oh yeah.. about XP.. yeah the so called "desktop sharing" does require authentication. you need to have a login name and password to be able to remotely access the computer..

but then.. even computers w/o those kinds of services can even be remotely accessed by malicious crackers.. what more if this XP already have it installed in its System as part of its system...

[lord_darkside_x]

as far as i know the ras command is auto turned on... but you have to dial into it.... there is another option where you can give people access to your puter so they can fix problems for you.... it is dangerous.... but it is hard to hack it though... it's was a permission thing...

[Matty_Cross]

s0nIc.. they aren't public shares... I believe they are hidden.. if you prefix a $ to the name of a share, it isn't viewable from Network Neighborhood... I don't know if *nix or that recognise the $, they might still show the share....

Anyway, who leaves the default settings for things?? That is just beggin' for trouble, no matter what OS your using....

Either way, an OS is only as secure as you configure it to be in my opinion... I run Window 2K Advanced Server, and I've never had anyone break in and its only crashed once on its own accord...

A tip... if your not gonna use a feature.. disable it.. Remember to check the dependencies on it first however, as you can cause a lot of things to stop working.....

[s0nIc]

well i would consider it public share since it did say that "everyone" has full rights to the C: drive..

and we do both know that one way or another that folder can be maliciously tampered, its just a matter of knowing HOW to see that folder...

there is a tutorial that i read on how to access file and print sharing of someone's computer over the net.. and i personally tried it on my Win2K professional box and it did work.. i managed to access my C: drive at home from skool and i can delete and add files and even modifly the files as if i was in the computer myself.

i tested it since i heard a lot of complains from my friends that their files have gone missing and someone hacked in.. as soon as i checked their computer the C: drive was on share and gave everyone full access to it.. and these people dont know anything about computers and they couldnt possibly set this sharing up themselves... and this has always been the case.

i havent heard such complains like this about Win2K Advanced Server.. and as far as i know.. the last time i installed the Advanced Server and checked the settings, the C: drive wasnt on share. but the printers were...

its pobably all comes down to the distributor of the Win2K Prof O/S CD.. since i heard that some of you here have your C: drive unshared by default..

Same case as the XP... on the last post some guy said his "desktop sharing" was set on by default.. which is wierd coz as far as i know.. they are set off by default..

Too many innocent users have been victimized by these default settings... and too many of us (well me and my friends) have sent a complain to M$ but so far they only gave my friends $1,000.00 compensation..

its good for my friends.. but what about the other normal users that havent got victimized YET..