Front cover - IBM Redbooks

380 Lotus Security Handbook
versions of the Windows operating system, it is not possible to write a list that
includes all configuration recommendations. The idea is to offer the base
information to foster awareness and reduce the risk of compromise as much as
possible.
We recommend that you read Microsoft’s 7 Steps to Personal Computing
Security, which is available from their corporate site at the following URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/articles/steps_default.asp
Finally, here we try to focus our attention on the more secure configurations of
Windows, namely those built around the Windows NT kernel (NT 4.0, 2000, and
XP). This section ignores configurations built around the Windows “9x” kernel,
namely: 95, 98, 98SE and ME because these are not built with security in mind
and are too easy to compromise. Organizations that are serious about their IT
security and have 9x kernel-based workstations should consider upgrading them
to one of the Windows NT kernel-based configurations.
Using the Administrator account
To maintain a Windows NT, 2000, or XP workstation, you need to have access to
the “Administrator” account. (This differs from the case in Windows 95, 98, and
ME, where all users have complete access to the entire system. In fact, this is
one of the main reasons why the 9x systems are insecure by design). In this
section we discuss the privileges granted to end users in relation to the
Administrator account and then we discuss securing this account.
Conversely, it is best to architect Windows workstation configurations which do
not provide end-users with Administrator access (or grant them Administrator
privileges) to their machines. Restricting what software the end users can install
on their workstations and the manner in which they can install it prevents many
security vulnerabilities from creeping up and makes the whole IT infrastructure
more secure.
This generally does not sit well with most users. Most of them feel they should
have the same degree of freedom with their corporate workstation (or even
laptop) that they do at home. This is understandable to a certain degree, but the
machines are not the property of the end user, they are the property of the
organization. As well, the organization should have a security policy in place
whereby end users don’t have administrator access to their machines. (If the
organization doesn’t, then this would be an auspicious time to review Chapter 2,
“Security methodologies” on page 43 and write a set of proper security policies,
as well as end user compliance documents). With this policy in place, the topic is
not open for discussion and you won’t have to spend a lot of time explaining it to
users.