Chimpytech

  • Home
  • MS Office
    • Office 2013
    • Office 2007 / 2010
    • Office 2003
  • Windows
    • Windows 10
    • Windows 8
    • Windows 7
    • Windows Vista
    • Windows XP
  • Apple iOS & Mac OS
  • Security
  • Miscellaneous
  • Blog
  • Ad-Blockers

User Account Control – Friend Or Foe?

March 11, 2012

One of the first things new users to Windows Vista notice is the (annoying) window that pops up every now and again asking for permission to carry out some action or other, this is User Account Control (UAC).

The concept behind UAC is sound and simple enough to understand – all users run with only the standard level of security access, and if you attempt to do something that could potentially damage your system such as editing the registry, you will be asked to confirm that you really want to perform the action in question.

However there are also many seemingly innocuous actions that can trigger a UAC alert, initially this may seem a little over protective, and many users very quickly turn it off, but we would urge them to think again as UAC does provide two very useful security benefits:

UAC monitors the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows Current Version run

Most (but not all) spyware will attempt to modify this area of the registry so that it will be loaded each time Windows starts, so any attempt by malware to install itself using this method will trigger a warning to the user.

This is not a full proof method of malware protection, but then no other method is either – we prefer to think of security implementation like an onion, something that needs to be implemented in layers, and UAC is just another one of those layers along with anti-virus, firewall, anti-spyware etc.

The second reason for NOT disabling UAC is its effect on Internet Explorer. With UAC active, Internet Explorer runs in a ‘Protected Mode’ which keeps many internet borne nasties at bay without any need for prompts or permission seeking.

Many people subscribe to the theory that because of the amount of alerts that UAC throws of the user in the early days of an installation its effectiveness is diminished as many people just blindly click ‘Continue’ without thinking about what they are agreeing to, but with perseverance the alerts do reduce over time, and with normal use, become inconsequential quite quickly.

Returning to the question at the top of the page – Friend or Foe? We say ‘Friend’ and for that reason we won’t be showing you how to switch it off. (But there are plenty of places that will, so if you really want it off then a Google search will turn something up for you).


Updated: March 11, 2012 at 9:49 am
Tags: User Account Control, Vista Security
◀ Change The Start Menu To Small Icons
Boosting Microsoft Vista ▶

Request an Article

Have an idea for an article or tutorial? Why not let us know, we will try to write it up for you. Click Here to go to our requests / feedback page

Social Media

Get all the latest news and updates immediately! Follow us on Twitter.
Follow @techychimp
Or


Recent Posts

  • Windows 10 – God Mode

    Windows 10 – God Mode

    October 24, 2020
  • Windows 10 – Playing DVDs

    Windows 10 – Playing DVDs

    October 12, 2020
  • Windows 10 – High Contrast Mode

    Windows 10 – High Contrast Mode

    January 9, 2020
  • Windows 10 – Battery Usage Report

    Windows 10 – Battery Usage Report

    December 26, 2018
  • Windows 10 Settings App – An Overview

    Windows 10 Settings App – An Overview

    September 24, 2018



Please visit our sister site at www.cyclinglabs.net
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT