Stored passwords on stolen laptop

We recently had a notebook stolen. How many domain passwords does a XP pro
client store. How secure are those passwords? I would be hard pressed to
remember how domain users have used that notebook. Do I need to have
everybody reset their passwords?

Thanks,
Zed

Yes! Those passwords are compromised.
Inform or initiate password change for everyone. Immediately.

Dusko Savatovic


wrote in message ...
We recently had a notebook stolen. How many domain passwords does a XP pro
client store. How secure are those passwords? I would be hard pressed to
remember how domain users have used that notebook. Do I need to have
everybody reset their passwords?

Thanks,
Zed

wrote:
We recently had a notebook stolen. How many domain passwords does a XP pro
client store.


By default, WinXP will store a maximum of 10 sets of cached domain
credentials. This number, however, can be raised to the absolute
maximum of 50 by means of a simple registry edit.



How secure are those passwords?


The passwords are not at all secure, as you've lost physical control of
the computer. It takes only a few seconds and Google to find many
password-cracking utilities on the Internet.

.. I would be hard pressed to
remember how domain users have used that notebook. Do I need to have
everybody reset their passwords?



That would certainly be best, if you want to be reasonably confident of
maintaining your domain's security. If you use a standard password for
the local Administrator account on each machine, don't forget to change
that, as well. Also, if you follow the common practice of renaming that
built-in local Administrator account, you should probably come up with a
new name.






--

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

Yes its extremely easy to crack any passwords even those with both numbers
and letters in a matter of minutes literally, the programs that do this are
also free downloads so anyone can get thier hands on them, I would
immediately have them changed and sorry about the loss.

" wrote:

We recently had a notebook stolen. How many domain passwords does a XP pro
client store. How secure are those passwords? I would be hard pressed to
remember how domain users have used that notebook. Do I need to have
everybody reset their passwords?

Thanks,
Zed