Hi Skybuck,
Thank you for posting and this is Tom again.
From your post, my understanding of this issue is: How to wreck a computer
with Windows XP by logging into it remotely via VPN connection, when the
hacker having an Administrator Account of Windows XP is using Windows 98
client. If this is not correct, please feel free to let me know.
To be frank with you, I don't understand why you always suppose that your
Administrator Account had been stolen. The Administrator Account is
top-drawer for an administrator of a computer or a network, because this
account is sovereign in the computer or network. Therefore, the
administrator should do his best to protect his account, and had better not
empower anybody for anything unless he can be trusted totally.
To protect Administrator Account better:
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1. Change the name - If you keep the name the same as the default, this
provides 1/2 of the information that an attacker needs to log on as the
account. You can change the name to obfuscate the account to novice
hackers, such as Mike Lee.
2. Reset the description - Since the description of the Administrator
Account states that it is the default Administrator Account, changing this
(or deleting it) will help protect it.
3. Create a "false" Administrator Account - There are many attackers that
are just looking for the name Administrator. So, if you create an account
that has no privileges and is even disabled, the attacker will not have a
chance to gain access to your network under this account.
4. Configure a complex password for the account - Observe the following
Password Rules:
- Must be 8 characters long at least.
- Must have at least 1 capital letter, 1 lower case letter, and 1 number or
punctuation, but no spaces.
- Cannot be based on your name, NetID, or on words found in a dictionary.
- Cannot be based on simple repeating patterns.
5. If you found any evidence that the Administrator Account had been
stolen, you must change the old password immediately.
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Back to your question, if a hacker using Windows 98 logged on your Windows
XP with Administrator Account via VPN, he can full control all resources on
Windows XP, such as read and write even delete all files just with My
Network Places... Is this a "wreck" or not?
I believe that actually you want to protect your computer, so please
protect your Administrator Account above all.
Have a nice weekend!
Sincerely,
Tom Che
Microsoft Online Partner Support
Get Secure! -
www.microsoft.com/security
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