In this age of constant cybercriminal activity, the threat is ever-changing and challenges every computer user multiple times a day. Securing systems has moved way past the obvious into what might be considered mundane if the attacks were not so successful. What is happening now is that cybercriminals are leveraging behaviors and configurations that, since they have been acceptable, are hard to change. In this post, I will describe an easy change you can implement to effectively slow down (and potentially thwart) dangerous actions by nefarious sources.

Home Computer Targets

A popular target for cybercriminals is those people who have two computers, one for work and one for home. The target is not the work computer, but rather the home machine. Why? Well, odds are that on your work computer, your user account is not an administrator. For many years, this and a good endpoint protection program were all that was needed in business. Those times have passed. Work-maintained computers have much more sophisticated and relatively expensive tools, hardware, and software for security. Home computers that are used for work, not so much. Now that we know the target, check out this for the toolkit criminals use: Cybercriminals love to play dress-up.

That article outlines the tactics for loading malicious tools onto computers. The key to success lies in what is called “silent installation.” Actions are embedded in check boxes, and an admin user will never be asked to approve, as the presumption is that the software is safe. This leverages a vintage rule-of-thumb, “the user is technically savvy and double-checks EVERYTHING.

An Effective, Free Security Measure

To defeat this and stop the takeover of your home computer, you will need to create new accounts that are not administrators. By creating a user account, the system will prompt for a password anytime a request to install software is presented. This automatic request will alert the user that the box they clicked on is attempting to install software not just verify they are human. If it is a legitimate request, then just enter the admin password.

How to Implement

Here are the steps to accomplish this on a Windows system:

(Pay close attention to step 5, as that is the most secure)

For Windows 11

Click on the Start menu and select Settings.
Navigate to Accounts and select Family & other users.
Under Other users, click Add account.
If the person has a Microsoft account, enter their email address and follow the prompts.
To create a local account, select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information, then choose Add a user without a Microsoft account.
Enter a username, password, and security questions, then click Next to complete the setup.

For Windows 10

Open the Start menu and go to Settings.
Select Accounts and then Family & other users.
Under Other users, click Add someone else to this PC.
Enter the Microsoft account email address or
To create a local account, select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information, then choose Add a user without a Microsoft account.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Even though the user may have a Google or Microsoft account make the account a local account so that no line information is within the profile.

Why and How it Works

Implementing the suggested change makes your system much more secure against silent installs and other attacks that require administrator permission. By removing this access on the account in use, the system will always automatically generate a system prompt to approve all actions deemed administrator.

We can help

If you are unsure whether you or your team have adequate protections or skill sets to address these types of concerns, reach out. Remember that Lead IT Consulting is here to help small businesses avoid cyberthreats as well as understand and navigate challenges in the IT landscape so your business can grow. We help our clients mitigate IT challenges daily to minimize risks. To find out more about how Lead IT Consulting can help your company with this and more book a meeting with the author or send an email to happiness@leaditconsulting.net.