• Home
  • About 404TS
  • Contact

404 Tech Support

Where IT Help is Found

  • Articles
    • Code
    • Entertainment
    • Going Green
    • Hardware, Gadgets, and Products
    • Management
    • Network
    • News
    • Operating Systems
    • Security and Privacy
    • Software
    • System Administration
    • Talking Points
    • Tech Solutions
    • Web
    • Webmaster
  • Reviews
  • Media
    • Infographics
    • Videos
  • Tech Events
  • Tools
    • How do I find my IP address?
    • Browser and plugin tests
  • Get a Technical Consultation
You are here: Home / Articles / Security and Privacy / Microsoft makes Local Administrator Password Solution official

Microsoft makes Local Administrator Password Solution official

2015-05-04 by Jason

Local administrator passwords are a problematic situation in an organization of significant size. Every computer either has the same password for the local administrator account, some formula to determine it, or a spreadsheet to track it. The bigger threat surrounding those accounts having a common password is more of an internal threat. With technicians coming and going, it can be quite a project to change the administrator password on each and every computer. If there’s a disgruntled IT technician that knew the password though, you should probably work on that project.

You could run around and get hands on each computer or write a script assigned through Group Policy to change the password, along with trying to inform everyone that needs to know but that can be tedious or requires leaving the password in plaintext somewhere (with only computer objects having access). Group Policy Preferences could manage local accounts but including passwords in GPP has always been a no-no and was enforced last May.

After closing the door of using GPP, many IT Pros began questioning how they were supposed to manage the local administrator password. Best practice would say that each computer should have its own password for the local administrator account and that it should be updated frequently. The Local admin password management solution was posted on MSDN and following the GPP change, it was proposed as a solution on the Ask Premier Field Engineering Platforms blog. Just last week, it was announced that Microsoft has adopted this as an official product in Microsoft Security Advisory 3062591.

The Local Administrator Password Solution, security-wise, is a thing of beauty. The local administrator password is periodically changed and is unique on each computer. With a schema change in AD, the password is stored in the attribute editor for a computer. It is then controlled who has permission to view the password attribute through Active Directory. Depending on the layout of your organization, this could be a further improvement by allowing technicians to know only the passwords of the computers for which they are responsible. To know the local account’s password, it would be looked up in AD and then would be usable. Technicians may dislike the extra step that slows them down but security should be jumping up and down.

LAPS is not something that can be implemented with a simple install but will require some planning and communication but the benefit looks to be a solution a long-time coming.

Filed Under: Security and Privacy, System Administration

Trending

  • Adobe Flash 10.3 Update Released With Privacy and Security Emphasis, Ability To Delete Flash Cookies
    In Security and Privacy, Software
  • Malwarebytes acquihires duo behind AdwCleaner
    In News, Security and Privacy, Software
  • GoTenna allows for direct connections between smartphones
    In Hardware, Gadgets, and Products

Latest Media Posts

Find Out Where To Download SNES ROMs

Find Out Where To Download SNES ROMs

Multifunctional Video Conversion Tools – Wondershare Video Converter

Multifunctional Video Conversion Tools – Wondershare Video Converter

  • Popular
  • Latest
  • Today Week Month All
  • How to ‘Unblock’ multiple files at a time with PowerShell How to 'Unblock' multiple files at a time with PowerShell
  • Increase IIS Private Memory Limit to improve WSUS availability Increase IIS Private Memory Limit to improve WSUS availability
  • Command line to take ownership and change permissions Command line to take ownership and change permissions
  • Creating and editing views in phpMyAdmin Creating and editing views in phpMyAdmin
  • Configure Outlook to recurring appointments for the last weekday of the month Configure Outlook to recurring appointments for the last weekday of the month
  • How to Purchase Cryptocurrencies? How to Purchase Cryptocurrencies?
  • Top 6 necessary aspects to consider when hiring Angular developers Top 6 necessary aspects to consider when hiring Angular developers
  • Full guide on drawbacks and benefits of Node.js for making the perfect choice for your business Full guide on drawbacks and benefits of Node.js for making the perfect choice for your business
  • Benefits of End-To-End Testing That Will Match Company Expectations Benefits of End-To-End Testing That Will Match Company Expectations
  • 3 Key Features of Pets Health Monitoring Systems 3 Key Features of Pets Health Monitoring Systems
Ajax spinner

Elevator Pitch

404 Tech Support documents solutions to IT problems, shares worthwhile software and websites, and reviews hardware, consumer electronics, and technology-related books.

Subscribe to 404TS articles by email.

Recent Posts

  • How to Purchase Cryptocurrencies?
  • Top 6 necessary aspects to consider when hiring Angular developers
  • Full guide on drawbacks and benefits of Node.js for making the perfect choice for your business

Search

FTC Disclaimer

404TechSupport is an Amazon.com affiliate; when you click on an Amazon link from 404TS, the site gets a cut of the proceeds from whatever you buy. This site also uses Skimlinks for smart monetization of other affiliate links.
Use of this site requires displaying and viewing ads as they are presented.

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in