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Yes, but why have a password taped to the outside of a machine? Just set no password at all! And you might think most passwords aren't important, and you'd be right. The trouble is people use the same password for everything, so while it doesn't really matter if you can log into their windows machine, being able to log into their banking details because they "didn't think their windows password was worth hiding" is a log more serious.
Where you connect to the internet you should password protect your user accounts with either NTLM or NTLM2, and you should not browse with an administrator account.Quote:
Yes, but why have a password taped to the outside of a machine? Just set no password at all
If, like myself, you have a number of machines in a secure environment, it doesn't matter that the passwords are on the machine (I tend to use the same screen, keyboard etc.) as no internet malware can read it :D
All it means is that I don't have to remember strong passwords (yes, they are all different!). As you are certainly aware, if you have physical control then resetting the administrator and through that, all other passwords is trivial.
I just means I don't have that hassle if I don't remember one ;)
The problem is most buissness enviroments aren't as physically secure as people think. A simple example of this is cleaning staff. A lot of time they have access to every where except the server rooms.
I used take walks around the different areas of the building where i was working before when people were gone home. forget about passwords stuck to the screen a lot of people just didnt log off or lock their session. The open spaces were easy enought to deal with. People got the idea after they sent an e-mail or two inviting the whole departement for a coffee.
People with offices were a bit harder to convince. after all their office doors were locked. It took coming in with the cleaning staff one morning and getting the head accountant to invite me and the It director to lunch.
I think my wife may take exception to that remark :DQuote:
A simple example of this is cleaning staff
I was talking of a secure home environment. Obviously in a business environment things are different. However your objectives are as well. A business environment password is to contol access to areas of the system and to provide user accountability.
If something nasty gets through your corporate defences and starts attacking the desktops you have lost!
You should be able to enforce that with a password protected screensaver?.............. unless you have fast user switching enabled :eek:Quote:
a lot of people just didnt log off or lock their session
People don't use password protected screensavers though, because if they go to lunch and somebody needs access to a file they have open to modify it, they come back to find their machine switched off (and that unsaved excel spreadsheet gone).Quote:
Originally Posted by nihil
No, MURACU is right ..... most businesses are not secure environments and people tend to overlook the ability of the likes of cleaning staff to know enough about computers to compromise their systems.
Hi Moira,
Oh yes they do, if you ENFORCE them. Also only allowing roaming profiles to those who need them, restricting them to the workstation IDs in their departments, not allowing multiple logons, and so on.Quote:
People don't use password protected screensavers though
And don't forget that the bozo who lost their work will have learned their lesson..............please remember that you can set MS Office applications to autosave every "x" minutes as well?
Also, the creature who did it will be there in the logs for the statutory scapegoat hunt :shocked:
I have worked in environments where, if you wished to leave your workstation, you had to log out, unlock your removable HDD and lock it in your MoD approved secure cabinet.
Not a job for those with weak bladders :urinate::D
My last job, if I got up from the PC it was almost a sackable offence if I left it unlocked. Here, where people go for breaks and have to kronos back in on time (and where the company docks their pay 1 minute if they're 1 minute late) believe me, you don't lock your screen. And even the team leaders have enough sympathy and memory of being an agent that they wouldn't insist on password protected screensavers - seconds count when breaks are 15 minutes long and any longer is lost pay.
Here it is policy to lock your computer if you are walking away from it EVERY time.
I guess you don't have to clock in and out by kronos .....
Nope just a bi-weekly online timecard that gets approved by your manager if you are on hourly. If you are on salary yo go unchecked.