Execution Control & Software Sources & Auto Play/Run

What do authentication and authorization policies give subjects the right to do?

sign on to a computer and network and potentially make changes to the system configuration

What do authentication and authorization policies place in the user?

a certain amount of trust to exercise those rights responsibly

Why can relying only on user rights be risky?

users can act maliciously or could be tricked into an adverse action

What does execution control refer to?

logical security technologies designed to prevent malicious software from running on a host regardless of what the user account privileges allow

What kind of security system can execution control establish?

one that does not entirely depend on the good behavior of individual users

What does Windows require even when logged in as an administrator account when making certain changes?

a confirmation

What system is that confirmation part of in Windows?

User Account Control

When running an application normally, as whom will the application be run?

the user who is logged in

What option may be needed to execute a program with administrative privileges?

Run As Administrator

What does Run As Administrator allow a standard user account to do?

run a program or utility with administrative privileges

What is required when the Run As Administrator option is selected?

the administrative account password

What does Run As Administrator assist with?

execution control of applications and making changes to the workstation

Why is it necessary to restrict the ability of users to run unapproved program code?

to prevent the spread of malware such as Trojans

What type of code is especially important to restrict?

code that can modify the OS, such as an application installer

What Windows mechanisms are used to enforce these restrictions?

Administrator and Standard user accounts, User Account Control (UAC), and system policies

What can developers of Windows applications use to prove the authenticity and integrity of an installer package?

digital certificates to perform code signing

What does Linux also prompt for when you attempt to install software?

untrusted software

What must packages have for the repository to install the software on Linux?

the public key for the repository

When prompted that you are installing untrusted software on Linux, what are the two choices?

install it anyway or cancel the installation

What software distribution model do mobile OS vendors use as well?

walled garden

From where are apps distributed in the walled garden model?

from an approved store

What are the vendor's store policies and procedures supposed to prevent?

Trojan-like apps from being published

What does application control mean in third-party network management suites?

configuring block lists of unapproved software or allow lists of approved software

What does a block list allow and what does an allow list deny?

block lists allow anything else; allow lists deny anything else

What file in legacy versions of Windows could automatically run commands when an optical disc was inserted or a USB drive was attached?

autorun.inf

Where was the autorun.inf file stored?

in the root of the drive

What would a typical autorun.inf define?

an icon for a disk and the path to a setup file

What security risk could autorun.inf create in legacy Windows?

malware being able to install itself automatically

What would prevent malware from installing itself automatically through autorun/autoplay?

disabling the autorun/autoplay option

What is shown in modern versions of Windows instead of automatically running commands?

an AutoPlay dialog box

What does the AutoPlay dialog box do in modern Windows?

prompts the user to take a particular action

Where can AutoRun and AutoPlay settings be configured?

via a drive's property dialog box

What also requires the user to explicitly allow any executable code to run?

UAC

Where can default AutoPlay actions be configured?

a Windows Settings page