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A Uniform Desktop Is a Secure Desktop

A Uniform Desktop Is a Secure Desktop
Jan 10, 2008
1 minute read
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A Uniform Desktop Is a Secure Desktop

NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technololgy) provides a baseline reference image for the FDCC at its Web site, fdcc.nist.gov.


A Uniform Desktop Is a Secure Desktop – Password Policy

The FDCC requires passwords to change every 60 days and have a minimum length of 12 characters, among other characteristics.


A Uniform Desktop Is a Secure Desktop – User Rights

The FDCC extensively uses Windows Group Policy to enforce user rights.


A Uniform Desktop Is a Secure Desktop – Wireless Network

While the FDCC requires that wireless network functions be off by default, it does not prevent authorized wireless networking, which I was able to configure on my reference system.


A Uniform Desktop Is a Secure Desktop – User Accounts

The FDCC reference image of Windows XP comes with the guest account disabled and the administrative account renamed. Further instructions from NIST give advice about using the administrative account, although eWEEK Labs recommends not providing users with administrative access at all.


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