MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-270): Installing ...

27 Configuring, Managing, and
Troubleshooting Security
Computers are constantly under attack. Although Microsoft Windows XP (especially
with Service Pack 2 installed) is designed to protect against most attacks, the default
configuration might not meet your organization’s security needs. Depending on how
users make use of their computers and the confidentiality of the data on your computers,
you might need to adjust the default security settings.
You will start by configuring Users and Groups for the people who will need to access
resources on each Windows XP computer. Then, you can use tools such as the Computer
Management console and the Local Security Policy console to grant rights to
those users. Users who do not have accounts will have a very difficult time gaining
access to resources on your computer, which will protect you against most attacks.
Some attacks might come from users with legitimate user accounts, however. In fact,
the most damaging attacks come from people within your own organization. You can
reduce the risk of this type of attack by tightly configuring user rights. Ideally, you will
follow the principle of least privilege and assign users only the bare minimum rights
they need to do their jobs.
You might still be vulnerable to attacks from threats without valid user accounts, however.
To protect against people who might physically steal a computer (especially a
laptop), use Encrypting File System (EFS). EFS encrypts files, requiring the attacker to
log on with a user account that has a private key that can decrypt the files. To protect
against malicious Web sites, you can configure Internet Explorer to prevent risky types
of communications, such as transmitting unencrypted data across the Internet or
accepting third-party cookies without privacy policies.
To complete this objective, you must understand how to install, configure, and troubleshoot
all these security technologies.
Tested Skills and Suggested Practices
The skills you need to successfully master the Configuring, Managing, and Troubleshooting
Security objective domain on the Installing, Configuring, and Administering
Microsoft Windows XP Professional exam include the following:
■ Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Encrypting File System (EFS).
❑ Practice 1: Encrypt and decrypt files and folders on a storage volume formatted
with NTFS by using Microsoft Windows Explorer.
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