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Within Windows XP and Vista, an Administrator account is automatically
created when you set up a system. This account may default to using a blank
password. This is a common way that hackers can gain access to your system. In
addition, this may be a "hidden" user, so if you look at the users set up
on your computer, you may not see this user. In order to resolve this, you
will need to log in with the user name Administrator and a
blank password, then change the password to something
non-trivial. To change the password, once logged in as Administrator, press
[Ctrl + Alt + Delete]. The Windows Security window will
appear. Click Change Password, then enter the current
(old) password (which may be blank), then the new password in
both the New Password and Confirm fields.
Click OK, then Cancel.
Mac OS X also has an Administrator password. You will be asked to supply
this password when you first set up your computer. This password should follow
the rules outlined above. It is required when installing software on your
computer. If a hacker can determine this password, they can install whatever
they want on your computer. To change the Administrator's password, select
System Preferences from the Apple menu, then
Accounts. Select the user(s) listed as type
Admin, then click the lock icon if it is not
already open to allow you to make changes. Click the Change
Password button, then enter the current password
followed by the new password in both the
Password and Verify fields. In the
Password Hint field, you may optionally enter a
clue that will remind you of what you entered for the
password, depending upon how your Login
Options are set. This hint should not include information that
would help someone guess the password. It should be a hint that is useful to
only you.
Another way to prevent hackers from gaining access to your system is to
change the default login names. On Windows XP and Vista, there is a default
user of Administrator. Changing the name on this account will
make it more difficult for hackers to gain access to your computer. In addition
to guessing the password, they will need to guess the user name as well. Like
the password, the user name should be something that cannot be found in other
places on your computer, such as your name or some combination of your
name.
To change the name for the Administrator's account on Windows, click
the Start button, select Control
Panel, then double-click User Accounts (under Vista,
you will also need to click Manage User Accounts. Next, click
the Administrator account from the list of accounts currently
set up on the computer, then click Properties. In the
User Name field, enter the new name of the
Administrator's account. This should be a different account than your own. The
account with which you are currently logged into your computer will need to
have Administrator privileges (e.g., be a member of the Administrator's group)
in order to do this.
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