User Account Control
Today, many Windows users run with administrative privileges in both the enterprise and the home. Running as an administrator results in a desktop that is hard to manage and has the potential for high support costs. Deploying desktops with standard user permissions can result in cost savings because a non-administrative user no longer has the ability to accidentally improperly configure the network or install an application that might affect system stability. Running without administrative privileges is challenging today since many applications fail to run and end users get frustrated by the inability to perform common tasks such as adding printers.
In Windows Vista, the User Account Control (UAC) initiative introduces fundamental operating system changes to enhance the experience for the non-administrative user. For example, in the enterprise context, a mobile laptop user will be able to set a WEP key to attach to a secure wireless network, install a printer, download and install application updates, setup and configure a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection, and perform many other standard tasks, all while running as a non-administrator.
User Account Control leverages the Windows security user model to distinguish between administrator and standard users. The standard user account is an account that has no computer administrator privilege. When a user whose account is a member of the local Administrator account logs on to a Windows Vista computer, they are logged on as a standard user by default. When the user wants to perform a task that requires administrative privileges, such as installing an application, Windows Vista explicitly prompts the user for permission or for credentials, depending on the security policy that is chosen. This process helps ensure that malware cannot silently install on a user?s computer. Unlike Windows XP, however, standard users are not automatically blocked from performing tasks that require administrative privileges. Windows Vista explicitly prompts a standard user to enter valid credentials for a local administrator account before it will allow the standard user to perform the task.
For those times when an administrator needs to use their administrator privileges, they don’t have to use Run As because Windows Vista can automatically prompt them for the required credentials, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Windows Vista automatically prompts you for administrator credentials when an application requests them.
Benefits
User Account Control allows organizations to move to a better-managed desktop with potentially lower support costs.
User Account Control reduces:
The need for organizations to re-image computers due to user configuration changes.
The risk of system-level impact by malware.
To understand the benefits of User Account Control, consider the following scenario of Don Hall, a remote user that is traveling for business. Don has a laptop with Windows Vista installed and runs as a standard user. During some free time in his hotel, Don browses to the Internet and attempts to download a game. Don is not aware, however, that the game is a Trojan horse, and the game attempts to install malware that starts automatically when the computer starts. However, because the malware requires administrative privileges to install and Don is running with a standard user account, Don?s computer will not be infected with the malware. Later, Don needs to install a new printer driver in order to print a document to the hotel printer. Because the driver is signed by a company that the IT department trusts, Don will be able to install the driver without administrator privileges. In this way, User Account Control protects users while still enabling them to be productive.
Why It Matters
With Microsoft Windows XP and earlier versions of the Windows operating system, IT professionals had two choices:
Give users administrative privileges and deal with support calls resulting from improper software installations or configuration changes.
Give users restricted privileges and deal with support calls when applications don’t work properly.
With Windows Vista, you do not have to make compromises. Users can be productive and protected from system-wide malware installs while still being able to run most applications. Ultimately, this means fewer support calls and less engineering time spent configuring applications to run under restrictive privileges
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