Restricted User Security Issues when Using Microsoft Programs

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You can configure a computer system to prevent users from accessing executable programs. For example, you can disable the Run command in Explorer and restrict access to Files and Folders so users can not locate programs and execute them. However, you should be aware that many programs, including the programs listed at the top of this article, provide command lines for running programs.

For example, in Microsoft Works 4.0, the user can access Microsoft System Information 2.5 (Msinfo32) through the Help menu. MSINFO32 has a Run command on the File menu. This lets users enter program names and run them, or browse available drives to find executable programs. MSINFO32 is available in many of Microsoft's programs marked with the Designed for Windows 95 logo.

In addition to a Run command, some programs have other methods to access executable files. Encarta, for example, uses a keyboard shortcut, CTRL+W, to activate a word processor. Encarta can be configured to activate any executable program when using CTRL+W.

If you provide users with the rights to run these programs, you should consider how this might affect your system security plans.

The command line access is an integral part of these programs and cannot be disabled.

Accessing Msinfo32

To access Msinfo32, do the following:

1. Start the Microsoft program.
2. On the Help menu, click About <product name>, where product name is the Microsoft program you started in Step 1.
3. Click the System Info... button.