Hackers Beware

Summary

This chapter should clearly illustrate that a default installation of a Microsoft operating system is not very secure. When setting up a system, the default installation should be a starting point—not the end. It is critical that administrators clearly understand not only the potential vulnerabilities that exist on their systems, but what can be done to protect against them. Any administrator who is responsible for a system must understand what is running on the system and adhere to the principle of least privilege.

This chapter is meant to give an overview of some of the key exploits for Windows operating systems and how they work. By understanding these exploits, an administrator can better appreciate what must be done to secure a ...