Hidden Microsoft Security Gem
So, Max has been fun to play with - if only for its basic photo slideshow capabilities. The newspaper-styled feed reading is a bonus, although I’d like to see its layout aesthetics merged with FeedJournal functionality (which pumps out PDFs of your feeds for free). This is the kind of “Windows” I just can’t wait to see on the desktop.
But as the title of this entry states, there’s a Microsoft security tool that really hasn’t received the attention it deserves: DropMyRights. Bad name, great idea. With it, you can easily run programs outside of Administrator mode:
DropMyRights is a very simple application to help users who must run as an administrator run applications in a much-safer contextâ€â€?that of a non-administrator. It does this by taking the current user’s token, removing various privileges and SIDs from the token, and then using that token to start another process, such as Internet Explorer or Outlook. This tool works just as well with Mozilla’s Firefox, Eudora, or Lotus Notes e-mail.
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9 Comments
darkmoon
September 13th, 2006
at 9:10pm
Did you look at the screenshots? I’m curious as to why a Microsoft Senior Security Program Manager has screenshots with the location as C:\warez\…
Everyone that’s been around the block knows that ‘warez’ refers to pirated software. Gee.
LUX.ET.UMBRA
September 13th, 2006
at 10:07pm
MSDN oops: Microsoft Security employee plays with warez?…
Interestingly enough, after reading Chris Pirillo’s “Hidden Microsoft Gem,” we decided to take a look at Microsoft’s DropMyRights. Now here’s a fascinating tool that allows administrators to read emails as normal users. But it was even more fascin…
Kenneth van Surksum
September 14th, 2006
at 4:00am
We noticed that the originel DropMyRights version by Microsoft is implemented as a Win32 Console Project and you will see a command window flashing by, however short, but still irritating.
So what I did a couple of weeks ago is just recompile it as a real Win32 window based application, added some messagebox error messages to it. The rest is of course the same only that is now available to you all!
Check here: http://www.techlog.org/archive/2005/08/29/dropmyrights__the_gui_version
skingery
September 15th, 2006
at 4:43pm
Curious…this looks very cool and here is is 2 YEARS after that article was written. That’s pretty hidden!
megame
September 20th, 2006
at 2:29pm
UAC from Vista does Drop My Rights plus it can elevate program rights if needed (with UAC prompt).
digg / 66sprite / dugg
September 24th, 2006
at 2:02pm
[...] Hidden Microsoft Security Gem [...]
Sunday tech buffet: secure XP with cool free tools, snag hot beta software, earn unexpected cash » Tips and Tricks to help you Master Your Computer
September 24th, 2006
at 7:01pm
[...] DropMyRights, a Microsoft security tool, may “… help users who must run as an administrator run applications in a much-safer contextâ€â€?that of a non-administrator…” Michael Howard [Microsoft Security Gem: Chris Pirillo] [...]
A Little Ludwig Goes A Long Way
October 11th, 2006
at 8:45pm
Getting markdown to work with editpadpro — nice, wish this kind of linking was easier to do on Windows. New Wikicalc beta. Just love the idea. Sharpcast to cover all file types. Might be worth trying again. DropMyRights — useful, previously blogged. Animated BCS Race — go bucks Adventures in cablecards — I will wait until football is over before I dip my toes back into this pool. Tags: buckeyes business hardware
SocioBiblog
June 11th, 2007
at 9:26am
bothered me about Microsoft charging for OneCare - which is like selling the disease and then charging for the cure… Related Content:.NET Passport SecurityPirillo’s Picks for 03/23/2007Computer Associates Software DiscountsAjax, Google and MicrosoftHidden Microsoft Security GemMorning SicknessPSP 2.0 Firmware!Fixing Computers for a LivingThe Politics of SecuritySoftware Coupons and Discounts