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Guest
After you install "Windows XP Home Edition" (and possibly the "XP Professional Edition") and you change the Administration name to your own Log on name the Administration Log on is still there but does not show up any more unless you restart in "Safe Mode". That means there is a higher level Administration log on then your new log on (it can change things on all other Aministration level names) that isn't even password protected until you give it one. I have not seen any kind of warning about this from Microsoft anywhere. This is a security issue that is very serious!!!!!!!! Kids out there that find this out are likely to create there own administraion names and then delete them so parents don't know they have access to anything they want to do on the computer or the internet!!!!!!!!
Hope that Microsoft and parents read this before kids or anyone that shouldn't have access to full rights on XP computers do.
There is no warning that the Default Administrator account still exists after your change the default Administration account to another name. It appears that your new account is the only Administrative level account, but the default Administrator account is still there, but only if you restart in "Safe Mode". The fact is there is no warning about the Default account still being there and Micrsoft should get the word out AND fix this problem
I should explain what happened so that it is better understood what I mean.
When I install Windows XP Home Edition I do not add a password until I have added all the Microsoft updates and the software I have to. That makes the install faster not having to log on. I did not create a new Administrative Account. I changed the Default Administrative Account's name, then added a password. This left no other account showing on the log on screen. I found the Administrator Account when I had a problem that caused me to end up in safe mode.
When I logged on to this Administrator Account it didn't need a password and could change things on the Account I had a password on. I logged on to my normal account name while in safe mode and tried to do things to the Administrator Account and found that my normal User Account didn't have the same rights over the Administrator Account even though it had full Administrative control.
Clearly this is a serious security issue since most people would not end up in the safe mode with how stable XP is. People trying to find ways around having a Limited User Account could use this access point. I also wonder if it is possible a hacker could log on with this Administrator Account from the internet. I have read security adviseries that say you should change any accounts that have the name Administrator to a different name since hackers will try to use that name.
Is it possible for a hacker to gain access to this Account even though it is only available in safe mode
This is something that should be changed
Just tried something with this serious Security Issue to see if I could do what I thought could be done. I went into safe mode and logged on under this Default Administrator Account and created a new User account with Administrative Rights. Then I logged on as the new name under a normal start up. I then deleted the password for my main User Account I normally use.
Anyone out there that has kids using what is supposed to be a safe Limited User Account on a computer could be letting them do anything they want and not even know it. The kids could add there own password to this Default Administrator Account and then create as many Full Admin accounts they want or delete the existing administrative accounts that the parents are using or delete the password it had and look at anything the parents have that is supposed to be safe from the kids prying eyes
Hope that Microsoft and parents read this before kids or anyone that shouldn't have access to full rights on XP computers do.
There is no warning that the Default Administrator account still exists after your change the default Administration account to another name. It appears that your new account is the only Administrative level account, but the default Administrator account is still there, but only if you restart in "Safe Mode". The fact is there is no warning about the Default account still being there and Micrsoft should get the word out AND fix this problem
I should explain what happened so that it is better understood what I mean.
When I install Windows XP Home Edition I do not add a password until I have added all the Microsoft updates and the software I have to. That makes the install faster not having to log on. I did not create a new Administrative Account. I changed the Default Administrative Account's name, then added a password. This left no other account showing on the log on screen. I found the Administrator Account when I had a problem that caused me to end up in safe mode.
When I logged on to this Administrator Account it didn't need a password and could change things on the Account I had a password on. I logged on to my normal account name while in safe mode and tried to do things to the Administrator Account and found that my normal User Account didn't have the same rights over the Administrator Account even though it had full Administrative control.
Clearly this is a serious security issue since most people would not end up in the safe mode with how stable XP is. People trying to find ways around having a Limited User Account could use this access point. I also wonder if it is possible a hacker could log on with this Administrator Account from the internet. I have read security adviseries that say you should change any accounts that have the name Administrator to a different name since hackers will try to use that name.
Is it possible for a hacker to gain access to this Account even though it is only available in safe mode
This is something that should be changed
Just tried something with this serious Security Issue to see if I could do what I thought could be done. I went into safe mode and logged on under this Default Administrator Account and created a new User account with Administrative Rights. Then I logged on as the new name under a normal start up. I then deleted the password for my main User Account I normally use.
Anyone out there that has kids using what is supposed to be a safe Limited User Account on a computer could be letting them do anything they want and not even know it. The kids could add there own password to this Default Administrator Account and then create as many Full Admin accounts they want or delete the existing administrative accounts that the parents are using or delete the password it had and look at anything the parents have that is supposed to be safe from the kids prying eyes
