The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Comments on: Scumbag malware authors exploit Virginia Tech tragedy

Pond-dwelling 

Posted Thursday 19th April 2007 10:51 GMT

I always said ducks had a sinister side.

Camera phone footage of the shootings!!!!!! 

Posted Thursday 19th April 2007 11:04 GMT

Yes, these malware authors are totally reprehensible. But are the people flocking to ghoulishly view supposed footage of the shootings any better?

How to prevent people flocking ghoulishly to malware 

Posted Thursday 19th April 2007 13:47 GMT

Don't give them Admin access on computers they don't own.

If you own the computer, take Admin access away from yourself. Yes, you read that right.

http://antiwindowscatalog.com/?mode=rant&id=5

By this point, if you give yourself Admin back to install something like this, then you deserve the resulting ridicule and you can't blame Microsoft.

I've gone one step further 

Posted Thursday 19th April 2007 14:03 GMT

Forget removing admin access. I don't even let myself USE my computer.

I'm actually not entirely sure how this got posted, to be honest.

Windows Admin 

Posted Thursday 19th April 2007 15:41 GMT

Have you guys actually tried to use a Windows machine in a non-admin context?

As a seasoned Unix admin, I've tried many times to use the same working methods on my 'doze machine as I do with my 'nix boxes, but every time I run into the brick wall known as the registry. A lot of applications either break or malfunction in strange ways if registry write access is denied (which seems to be the case even with 'Power Users' membership).

This is because Windows software authors tend to write their applications to store user preferences and settings in the registry - requiring write (therefore privileged) access to the system central repository, where a Unix software author would write the same data to a user-specific config file, requiring nothing more than the users own profile permissions...