Member Avatar for caperjack

  • 4 Contributors
  • 4 Replies
  • 187 Views
  • 23 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by jbennet

Dani AI

Generated

Short summary and context: the Sophos result referenced by is the kind of lab finding people worry about, but it needs context. Tests that feed brand‑new malware samples to a clean Windows 7 install with no anti‑malware will often allow execution; User Account Control (UAC) is an elevation/consent mechanism, not a malware scanner, so a prompt alone doesn’t equal virus‑blocking. Modern endpoint protection relies on signatures, heuristics, cloud/behavioral telemetry and machine learning — without any of that, fresh samples can run before vendors ship detections. (learn.microsoft.com)

What UAC actually does (and how Win7 differs from Vista): Windows 7 introduced a more granular UAC model and quieter defaults to reduce prompts; that design change trades some noisy prompts for fewer interruptions while still providing Admin Approval Mode and secure‑desktop prompts in key cases. Internet Explorer’s Protected Mode runs the browser at low integrity, which helps limit what a compromised webpage or plugin can change. Both points raised by , and are accurate but incomplete without the AV/context above. (learn.microsoft.com)

Practical, immediate steps (applies to any Windows 7 machine): install a reputable, up‑to‑date anti‑malware product with cloud/behavioral protection; enable automatic Windows updates while they are available; run daily work in a standard (non‑admin) account; consider moving UAC to a stricter setting if you want more elevation prompts (use Control Panel → Change User Account Control settings); and in managed environments use AppLocker or Software Restriction Policies to restrict which binaries can run. These actions turn a laboratory “can run” result into a much lower real‑world risk. (learn.microsoft.com)

If you’re reading this years later: Windows 7 reached end of support on January 14, 2020. Systems still running unsupported Windows are at greater risk because they don’t receive security patches; plan to migrate to a supported OS or isolate and harden any remaining devices. That single fact changes the security calculus more than the UAC prompt behavior ever will. (support.microsoft.com)

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for Adamsappleone

I don't know caperjack, seems like an unfair test, considering the fact that UAC is NOT an anti-virus or a malware protection program.
It is however, just what it's title says "USER" Account Control", which from my understanding, protects your files and settings from other users on that particular PC.
Maybe I missed something here.

Don

Member Avatar for caperjack

yeah,first im still learning all the special features of win7,[never using vista im new to all of them] but i guess its because of the hype of uac,part of uas is the popup you get for upper admin clearance to allow a program to run,like i said im still learning and time is scarce these days

check the first paragraph as to there definition of uac and it seems its meant to do a lot more that just security between users .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Account_Control

Edited by caperjack because: n/a
Member Avatar for happygeek

The UAC default is all wrong in Windows 7, much safer to allow nothing even if it does add more hassle for the user. That said, the Sophos testing was rather misleading I think. I wrote about it here and my conclusion was that I'd like to see the same test on a Windows 7 machine running some AV, which would surely be more valid - especially as the viruses that were thrown at the machine in the labs were brand new samples fresh into the lab. I'd like to see how other versions of Windows dealt with them, I would suspect exactly the same to be fair.

Member Avatar for jbennet

UAC does more than just prompt. Its behind IE's protected mode and needs-only elevation. That means that e.g IE will be sandboxed and run under the lowest privileged user account rights, and e.g apps will only be installed elevated if they request it.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.