malware - Preventing unauthorised installation of software in Windows 8

07
2014-07
  • bshender

    Last night I complained to my wife that in Windows 8 the new Metro interface is so important that Microsoft has valued it over a usable clock. So I commented that I needed to find a widget or something to fix that. She kindly tried to install something she thought was from Microsoft. It was a "clock" program from some site called thoosje that installed multiple programs and changed my home screen on IE and Firefox. I uninstalled all of it I could find. IE let me reset the home screen. Firefox needed to be reinstalled. Malwarebytes couldn't find anything nor did Windows Defender. I don't see anything I couldn't identify as native in the process list under Task Manager either.

    Questions:

    Am I paranoid or was my reflex to call that malware appropriate? Is it all gone or is there a setting somewhere still likely to cause problems? Short of trying to forbid my wife from installing anything is there a way to stop her from installing obnoxious crap on my new build?

    • Answers
  • JohnnyVegas

    You can restrict her by creating/adjusting her account type in Users under control panel. Change from an administrator to Standard User. I am not responsible for any damage you may receive once she finds out.


    • Related Question

    Looking for a Software to harden Windows machines
  • MosheH

    I'm a network administrator of a small/medium network.

    I'm looking for a software (Free or Not) which can harden Windows Computers (XP And Win7) for the propose of hardening standalone desktop computers (not in domain network). Note: The computers are completely isolated (standalone), so i can't use active directory group policy. moreover, there are too many restriction that i need to apply, so it is not particle to set it up manual (one by one). Basically what I’m looking for is a software that can restrict and disable access for specific user accounts on the system.

    For Example:

    1. User john can only open one application and nothing else -- He don’t see no icon on the desktop or start menu, except for one or two applications which i want to allow. He can't Right click on the desktop, the task-bar icons are not shown, there is no folder options, etc...

    2. User marry can open a specific application and copy data to one folder on D drive.

    3. User Dan, have access to all drives but cannot install software, and so on...

    So far ,I've found only the following solutions, but they all seems to miss one or more feature: Desktop restriction Software 1. Faronics WINSelect The application seems to answer most of our needs except one feature which is very important to us but seems to be missing from WINSelect, which is "restriction per profile". WINSelect only allow to set up restrictions which are applied system-wide. If I have multiple user accounts on the system and want to apply different restrictions for each user, I cant.

    1. Deskman (No Restriction per user)-> Same thing, no restriction per profile.

    2. Desktop Security Rx -> not relevant, No Win7 Support.

    3. The only software that I've found which is offering a restriction per profile is " 1st Security Agent ". but its GUI is very complicated and not very intuitive.

    It's worth to mention that I'm not looking for "Internet Kiosk software" although they share some features with the one I need. All I need is a software (like http://www.faronics.com/standard/winselect/) that is offering a way to restrict Windows user interface.

    So IF anybody know an Hardening software which allows to set-up user restrictions on Windows systems, It will be a big, big, big help for me!

    Thanks to you all


    • Related Answers
  • Rory Alsop

    If you are still working on this one, have a look at this question over on Security Stack Exchange - there is a range of different tools and sources discussed there, some of which may be appropriate for you.