What is UAC and settings UAC

Introduction

User Account Control (UAC) is a tool for administration that raises an alert if you modify the privileges of the administrator. UAC can protect your computer from malicious software because it allows you to notice when a program or document is trying to acquire administrative privileges. By default, UAC is disabled for standard users, which means that standard users cannot change the UAC settings. It protects the files, applications and resources from unauthorized access. As an administrator, you can set the security restrictions or permissions that apply to different groups of users and resources in your network. It will help to simplify the implementation and management of the permissions and restrictions in your organization.

Managing User Account Control

Managing user accounts and groups is an essential part of any organization. But to carry out this activity, system administrator should understand what are user accounts and groups and how they work. This is how the users are authenticated to the system. User Accounts have several different components as username, password which is followed by the access control information.

User Account Control

User Account Control (UAC) is a technology and security infrastructure introduced with Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7. UAC improves the security of Windows by limiting the access to the standard user until the author authorizes an increase in the privilege. To understand UAC, you need to understand the following concepts:

Privilege elevation:

All users of clients running Windows 7 run with the rights of standard user. Whenever user tries an act such as creating a new user account, then users' rights has to be raised from the standard user to the administrative user. This increase in rights is known as privilege elevation. UAC is a gateway to the privilege elevation. This privilege elevation occurs only for a specific task.

Admin Approval mode:

In Admin Approval mode where an administrator must approve for elevation by responding to the UAC prompt. The UAC prompt requires clicking yes to the prompting for consent, or entering a user name and passwords which is called prompting for credentials.

Secure Desktop:

Secure Desktop ensures that malicious software is unable to alter the display of the UAC prompt. 6.3 UAC Settings You can determine how to notify the changes made by configuring the User Accounts Control Settings. You can access this dialog box from Start→ Control panel → User Control Accounts and Family Safety → User Accounts → Change user ontrol settings. The User Account Control Settings dialog box appears. Figure shows a slider that allows you to adjust UAC notifications between Always and notify never notify

If the changes are made using the slider then UAC informs that changes are made by the program named User Account Control Settings. The dialog box appears with a security measure is so that no malicious software is able to modify the UAC settings.

Always Notify me when:

Always notify is the most secure setting. The warning dialog box is prompted that make changes to the computer and it also requires administrator permissions. The desktop appearance is also dimmed and this happens because secure desktop is activated. The request has to be answered within 150 seconds or else it denies the request for privilege elevation and computer returns to the standard desktop.

Notify Me Only When Programs Try To Make Changes To My Computer:

When this option is selected you are shown with the warning what are the changes made to your computer or Windows Settings and requires administrator permissions. The notification always occurs at the secure desktop.

Notify Me Only When Programs Try to make changes to My Computer (Do not dim my desktop):

When this option is selected you are prompted the message before programs make changes that require the administrator permissions and it will not allow to dim your desktop.

Never notify me when:

Whenever the changes are made you are not notified that changes to your computer or to Window Settings are made when you are logged as an administrator. But, if you are logged as a standard user, any changes that require administrative privileges are denied.