RE: Vulnerability in IBM Windows XP: default hidden Administrator account allows local Administrator access

"Michael Scheidell" <[email protected]> Sat, 18 Sep 2004 11:38:55 -0400
Newsgroups gmane.comp.security.vulnerabilities.watch.general
Message-ID <B3BCAF4246A8A84983A80DAB50FE7242283140__44864.8953032263$1095567590$gmane$org@secnap2.secnap.com>
during the installation of retail xp pro, you are advised strongly to add a password to the administrator account.

do the research fully, or believe that we already did it.

get a copy of retail xp pro and do a clean install, photograph the screens and prove me wrong.



-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Norton [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, September 17, 2004 4:34 PM
To: Michael Scheidell; [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: Re: Vulnerability in IBM Windows XP: default hidden
Administrator account allows local Administrator access


Let me clear up what I ment to say:
The blank administrator account is not all IBM's fault.
If IBM is to add that screen, Which has been there since
XP came out. How many people would set a password?
Talking about the general home user. I would say about 60%
of XP installs on a home computer do not have an administrator
password and the local login administrator/blank has been known
about for some time. The reseting the password message is indeed
not from IBM but in Microsoft XP itself. I just went to change my
administrator password and indeed I got this warning.
--
Chris Norton 
UAT Student Software Engineering Network Defense