Re: Best explanation why NOT to run as administrator/root

Subject: Re: Best explanation why NOT to run as administrator/root
From: Tony Chung <tonyc -at- tonychung -dot- ca>
To: "McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:10:36 -0700

The other question is: It's a VM. Who cares what happens to it? Why don't
you just keep thrashing it until it gets too tough to work with, then
delete the VM and replace with a backup.

All your working files should be checked into the main repo anyway.

-T


On Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 11:48 AM, McLauchlan, Kevin <
Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com> wrote:

> It's a VM, intended for both of us. We are not the admin for the VM
> itself, but we are the admin for the Server OS that is running in it.
>
> I just happened to be the point guy, getting it set up.
> It's not an authority thing. The other writer is legitimately my backup
> in this VM. If either of us gets hit by a bus... yadda-yadda...
>
>
> From: John Posada [mailto:jposada99 -at- gmail -dot- com]
> Sent: April-30-13 2:01 PM
> To: McLauchlan, Kevin
> Cc: Tech Writers
> Subject: Re: Best explanation why NOT to run as administrator/root
>
>
> Kevin...the mistake you made was passing on a credential that was given TO
> YOU. Unless you ARE the admin, you really had no authority to do so. If the
> other writer needed it, he should have been given it by the authorized
> party like you were.
> On Apr 30, 2013 12:18 PM, "McLauchlan, Kevin" <
> Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com<mailto:Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>>
> wrote:
> All,
>
> Who can recommend the best and most persuasively presented summary of why
> one should NOT log in as Administrator (or root) for every-day, ongoing
> computer use? To me, it's been a given for as long as I've been using
> networked computers. To my cow-orker, apparently not-so-much.
>
> We were given a VM in which to run our apps (like Flare, GIMP, Visio,
> various other tools, etc.).
> The server owner installed Windows Server 2008 SP2, and handed me the
> location and the Administrator password.
> I created a regular user account for myself, and one for the other local
> techwriter in our office.
> I started using my user account.
> I gave the other guy his credentials AND the Administrator PW, since we
> are each other's backup, and I expected some sense from him.
>
> He soon began logging in as Administrator, as a matter of course.
> I said "stop that".
> He said "Why? I know better than to break things, and besides, I had a
> problem with my username account."
>
> [snip]
>
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References:
Best explanation why NOT to run as administrator/root: From: McLauchlan, Kevin
Re: Best explanation why NOT to run as administrator/root: From: John Posada
RE: Best explanation why NOT to run as administrator/root: From: McLauchlan, Kevin

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