Simple, Safer, Free

Here are two free and easy suggestions to cover a major step towards securing your PC that tends to get overlooked: user account privileges.

If you're using Windows right now, you're logged in with some type of user account. Probably the one you created when you first installed Windows.

Problem is, Windows does a poor job of handling user security, and most every home user account has what are called adminstrator rights. You need these privileges to install programs and perform other necessary tasks. But viruses and other malware can also use them to cause all sorts of havoc.

You could create another account that doesn't have admin rights, but you'd probably get very frustrated very quickly every time you wanted to add a new program or change much of anything. Or, you could use one of these two easy options to run just the most vulnerable programs - namely Web browsers, e-mail applications and other Internet programs - without admin rights.

Your apps should still run normally for Web browsing or reading email. But if you're unlucky enough to click on the wrong attachment or get hit by a drive-by download while surfing, a virus is severely limited in what it can do on your PC. It can't install itself into a Windows system folder or start a new service, for instance. Some malware can still do its dirty work, but most will be stopped short.

Note: Neither of these options will single-handedly make you safe. Use one or the other in addition to good antivirus and antispyware at the very least.

Option #1: grab the recently released, free Amust 1-Defender 2.0. It's simple to install and use, but it's limited in that it only works with Internet Explorer, Outlook and Windows Messenger.



When you install 1-Defender you should get new icons on your desktop for starting these programs using a Least Privileged User Account, or LUA. Use those shortcuts instead of your usual ones, and you'll be a lot better off.

Option #2: download a free utility called DropMyRights, offered by Michael Howard. He's part of Microsoft's Secure Engineering group.

As with 1-Defender, you'll end up with new shortcuts for starting Internet apps.



The advantage to DropMyRights is that you can use it with any program, like Firefox or *shudder* Lotus Notes e-mail. You'll need to do just a bit more prep work than with 1-Defender to initially set up the shortcut icon. The download site has good setup instructions, but the gist is that you prepend "program install path\DropMyRights.exe" to the shortcut command. Once you setup the shortcut, you're done.

For plenty of good info on user account privileges and safety, head to:

nonadmin Web site

Malware.org: Use a non-admin account

And finally, Scott Dunn has a good tip on using "Run As" to start suspicious programs in his July Windows Tips column.