Is UAC really needed ?

[cbcb52]

I am the only user of this computer - seems to me , that
UAC is a security item for newbies or for multiple users .
I am inclined to turn it off ; is there something else that I
missed ?

 

[Tiberius]

if a virus and malware tries to install and take over then you MAY (its not
sure that you will)
get an UAC window.

MS itself does not say that UAC is a good protection.. but it MAY help in
some situations....

I personally hate it and turn it off!!!

its a stupid idea implemented in a even more stupid way. See my "lets do the
math" post
to understand what I would like to do to the person who thought of it.

 

[Julie Smith]

UAC, from my understanding, is implemented on a layer of Vista called a
security desktop. Hence the reason why the screen turns blackish when it
launches. From my understanding, the security layer is a seperate layer that
an external user (such as a hacker) cannot access. So, if a mal user tries
to change system settings, the UAC is invoked, which only the local user can
see/allow.

Don't take my word for it. An MVP will know more and will probably post
after me This is just my interpretation from an article i read (don't
ask which one because it was a while ago).

You will notice also that CardSpace also uses this security desktop.

 

[Tiberius]

if you think that an MVP knows much.. that tells us lots about how much you
know!

lol

Keep roaming in here.. you will learn lots.. small little vista girl

 

[Karen Jane Panze]

That is a pretty lousy response. What happened, you wife threw you out of
the house after all your drinking and throwing up in the yard?

Get a life douche bag

 

[Kerry Brown]

I am the only user of this computer - seems to me , that
UAC is a security item for newbies or for multiple users .
I am inclined to turn it off ; is there something else that I
missed ?

UAC as with all security precautions is a trade off between security and
convenience. Turning off UAC also turns off or breaks other things. Besides
the obvious loss of control over rogue programs you lose protected mode in
IE and some older programs don't work because registry and file
virtualization work differently with UAC off. There are other considerations
but those are the big two. Here is a link to an article that explains UAC.

http://www.jimmah.com/vista/Security/uac.aspx

 

[Frank]

That is a pretty lousy response. What happened, you wife threw you out of
the house after all your drinking and throwing up in the yard?

Get a life douche bag

hahaha...good one!
Frank

 

[Joseph Johnson]

None. Per Microsoft itself, UAC is the first layer in multilayered
security configuration by removing admin as the typical user, you can
have a 'weak admin' now as standard user.

If you turn it off, you still have the other layers, but each layer is
then labored with having to troubleshoot issues UAC could avoid, i.e.,
installing potential rouge software.

Currently, few full Vista apps exist, and the UAC is invoked in most XP
programs running in Vista, thus annoying. You can turn it off for now
until more full Vista compliant versions are released.

As for now, developers are grasping with what Vista releases have done to
the standard installs. For example of the hassles of installing true
Vista programs, even for seasoned developers, install Adobe Reader 8.0
Vista and watch what happens. To avoid its hassles, try then an install
by invoking XP SP2 compatibility mode, and all the hassles dissappear.

Note even with UAC off, I have had, rarely, a UAC style window appear,
and this is with one Grisoft AVG update. It was not explained anywhere,
since Grisoft was Vista compliant. I later made explicit exceptions for
Grisoft through the Windows firewall and the UAC windows stopped. What a
PITA it was.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/aa905073.aspx#E6B

 

[Joseph Johnson]

I agree but given that an option is there to shut it off suggests Microsoft
was expecting compatibility issues of some size, at least for now.

 

[NotMe]

I have AVG 7.5 on my Vista machine and have to approve the daily updates.
What a PITA.
My opinion of UAC is that it will just make people get used to clicking
through the prompts.
Like anything you have to do over & over & over & over & over... it will get
routine & it will be clicked through no matter what is trying to be
installed.

 

[Joseph Johnson]

hi not me, add all the avg programs to the windows firewall exceptions, it
stopped my uac prompts from appearing.

 

[NotMe]

Thanks, but I don't think I should have to do that manually, once you tell
UAC to allow something, it shouldn't ask again & again & again.
If it can't give you the option to 'always allow', it needs to go away.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

"If it can't give you the option to 'always allow', it needs to go
away."
No, what needs to happen is for the software manufacturer to write
secure code without needing Administrator access when not necessary.
If you have that much noncompliant software, perhaps you should
disable UAC and it will effectively "go away" for you.
But for those with all or mostly well written programs, UAC is seldom
seen and helps the user maintain control of the computer.

 

[xfile]

once you tell UAC to allow something, it shouldn't ask again & again &

again.
If it can't give you the option to 'always allow', it needs to go away.

If NIS from Symantec (and/or other security suites) can offer that choice
and have some built-in database for programs, I hardly can accept that this
company can't do it with similar fashions.

PS: I know some people dislike Symantec's products, and it's not an
endorsement, rather an example.

 

[Julie Smith]

Thats actually a really good idea...

Thanks, but I don't think I should have to do that manually, once you tell
UAC to allow something, it shouldn't ask again & again & again.
If it can't give you the option to 'always allow', it needs to go away.

 

[NotMe]

Most of the software I have is from MS.
They want you to but their latest offering (at inflated prices) to be Vista
compliant.
My Office XP works fine, why would I spend hundreds of $$ to update to
Office 11 with it's ugly ribbon?
MS should at least recognize their own software!

--
A Professional Amateur...If anyone knew it all, none of would be here!
(e-mail address removed)
Change Alpha to Numeric to reply

"If it can't give you the option to 'always allow', it needs to go away."
No, what needs to happen is for the software manufacturer to write secure
code without needing Administrator access when not necessary.
If you have that much noncompliant software, perhaps you should disable
UAC and it will effectively "go away" for you.
But for those with all or mostly well written programs, UAC is seldom seen
and helps the user maintain control of the computer.

 

[Dave Cox]

I have AVG 7.5 on my Vista machine and have to approve the daily
updates. What a PITA.
My opinion of UAC is that it will just make people get used to
clicking through the prompts.
Like anything you have to do over & over & over & over & over...
it will get routine & it will be clicked through no matter what is
trying to be installed.

Reinstall AVG with the latest download from scratch. it will take care
of that issue, I had the same problem. It's mentioned on the AVG site
if I recall correctly that is how I found out.

 

[NotMe]

Thanks, I'll try that.

 

[Kerry Brown]

Thats actually a really good idea...

Yes it's a good idea. Unfortunately it's harder to program than it seems.
Other than user input it's not possible to know if a program was started by
a user or by another program. One program could start another program that
has known exploits and use it to attack the system. Almost all secure OS'
need elevation by some method to perform system tasks. It is very rare that
you could mark a program as needing admin/root/super user status and not
have to supply a password every time you run the program. Most OS' don't
allow it.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

I never suggested you should replace Office XP.
Office XP seems to work well with UAC, at least it did for me.

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar
http://www.dts-l.org