User rights problem (Least Privilege)

Hi All,

I am managing a small network with Windows 2003 as DC and XP as clients.
Some of my applications does not run under normal user account, is there any
way to give permission to applications instead of adding users to power user
or admin group. Some 3rd party tools are available but i m looking for
builtin option in windows xp or through 2003 GP.

Kind Regards

You can try the RunAs commnand. This works for some programs, but not all.

If you do need to make your users Administrators, be careful you don't
inadvertently give them Administrator rights to the server too, it's very
easily done. Create a domain group which has local-machine Admin rights (but
not domain-admin rights) and add them to that.

Thanks for your reply,
For temp. solution i added Domain Users group into Power User group and
application works well, but by doing this user get extra rights for eg. they
can share folders and change system time etc. The best possible solution is
to gave rights to application instead of user. There are some 3rd party tools
which offers this service but i am looking for builtin windows feature .

Looking for positive response.


"Ian" wrote:

You can try the RunAs commnand. This works for some programs, but not all.

If you do need to make your users Administrators, be careful you don't
inadvertently give them Administrator rights to the server too, it's very
easily done. Create a domain group which has local-machine Admin rights (but
not domain-admin rights) and add them to that.

Ahmed wrote:
Hi All,

I am managing a small network with Windows 2003 as DC and XP as clients.
Some of my applications does not run under normal user account, is there any
way to give permission to applications instead of adding users to power user
or admin group. Some 3rd party tools are available but i m looking for
builtin option in windows xp or through 2003 GP.




You may experience some problems if the software was designed for
Win9x/Me, or if it was intended for WinNT/2K/XP, but was improperly
designed. Quite simply, the application doesn't "know" how to handle
individual user profiles with differing security permissions levels, or
the application is designed to make to make changes to "off-limits"
sections of the Windows registry or protected Windows system folders.

For example, saved data are often stored in a sub-folder under the
application's folder within C:\Program Files - a place where no
inexperienced or limited user should ever have write permissions.

It may even be that the software requires "write" access to parts
of the registry or protected systems folders/files that are not normally
accessible to regular users. (This *won't* occur if the application is
properly written.) If this does prove to be the case, however, you're
often left with three options: Either grant the necessary users
appropriate higher access privileges (either as Power Users or local
administrators), explicitly grant normal users elevated privileges to
the affected folders and/or part(s) or the registry, or replace the
application with one that was properly designed specifically for
WinNT/2K/XP.

Some Programs Do Not Work If You Log On from Limited Account
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q307091

Additionally, here are a couple of tips suggested, in a reply to a
different post, by MS-MVP Kent W. England:

"If your game or application works with admin accounts, but not with
limited accounts, you can fix it to allow limited users to access the
program files folder with "change" capability rather than "read" which
is the default.

C:\cacls "Program Files\appfolder" /e /t /p users:c

where "appfolder" is the folder where the application is installed.

If you wish to undo these changes, then run

C:\cacls "Program Files\appfolder" /e /t /p users:r

If you still have a problem with running the program or saving
settings on limited accounts, you may need to change permissions on
the registry keys. Run regedit.exe and go to HKLM\Software\vendor\app,
where "vendor\app" is the key that the software vendor used for your
specific program. Change the permissions on this key to allow Users
full control."



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

Dear Bruce
After giving write permission to Users group on Windows folder the
application runs smoothly.

Thanks for your reply

"Bruce Chambers" wrote:

Ahmed wrote:
Hi All,

I am managing a small network with Windows 2003 as DC and XP as clients.
Some of my applications does not run under normal user account, is there any
way to give permission to applications instead of adding users to power user
or admin group. Some 3rd party tools are available but i m looking for
builtin option in windows xp or through 2003 GP.




You may experience some problems if the software was designed for
Win9x/Me, or if it was intended for WinNT/2K/XP, but was improperly
designed. Quite simply, the application doesn't "know" how to handle
individual user profiles with differing security permissions levels, or
the application is designed to make to make changes to "off-limits"
sections of the Windows registry or protected Windows system folders.

For example, saved data are often stored in a sub-folder under the
application's folder within C:\Program Files - a place where no
inexperienced or limited user should ever have write permissions.

It may even be that the software requires "write" access to parts
of the registry or protected systems folders/files that are not normally
accessible to regular users. (This *won't* occur if the application is
properly written.) If this does prove to be the case, however, you're
often left with three options: Either grant the necessary users
appropriate higher access privileges (either as Power Users or local
administrators), explicitly grant normal users elevated privileges to
the affected folders and/or part(s) or the registry, or replace the
application with one that was properly designed specifically for
WinNT/2K/XP.

Some Programs Do Not Work If You Log On from Limited Account
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q307091

Additionally, here are a couple of tips suggested, in a reply to a
different post, by MS-MVP Kent W. England:

"If your game or application works with admin accounts, but not with
limited accounts, you can fix it to allow limited users to access the
program files folder with "change" capability rather than "read" which
is the default.

C:\cacls "Program Files\appfolder" /e /t /p users:c

where "appfolder" is the folder where the application is installed.

If you wish to undo these changes, then run

C:\cacls "Program Files\appfolder" /e /t /p users:r

If you still have a problem with running the program or saving
settings on limited accounts, you may need to change permissions on
the registry keys. Run regedit.exe and go to HKLM\Software\vendor\app,
where "vendor\app" is the key that the software vendor used for your
specific program. Change the permissions on this key to allow Users
full control."



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH