Software installs as non-admin!

[gshaw]

This is a new one on me but a bit annoying... just had one of the techs come back and he noticed one of our staff has installed Google Chrome and Skype on her PC. I'm sitting thinking surely it would need admin rights... apparently not!

 

Seems to be there's software coming out that doesn't need the rights anymore... methinks this is a bad thing... looks like I'll have to put Software Restriction policies on... never needed to bother before but looks like lockdown time

[Ric_]

I'd noticed that about Google Chrome. It's worse though... in order to install, it shoves itself in some random location within the user's profile and buggers up all the file associations and such. The profile has to be wiped to get rid of it

[ricki]

HI

 

Make sure that they have not been given domain admin or local admin rights on the computer. Also make sure that they have not been given an administrator, or domain admin password.

 

It might also be worth having a look in acitive directory and seeing if other domain admin accounts exist.

 

Have a look on the local machine and check to see if a legacy local admin account exists like when the machine was installed and called in a users name. I have had this a few times with laptops that have been passed between teachers.

 

Richard

[gshaw]

Nope no local admin rights here... I control it via restricted groups so there's a domain group for people who are allowed it which then gets propagated to the PCs.

 

Just looked up Skype and Chrome and both say they install without needing the rights so it seems the only way to stop it in its tracks is to block the installer at source

 

Just checked with a test user... tried to install MalwareByes... non-admin error. Checked My Computer, tried to rename PC (easy way to check for admin rights)... greyed out. Installed Chrome... worked first time. Installed Skype... worked first time.

 

Another reason to hate Google! Think I'll have to put content filtering on the admin side and block all exe downloads bar windowsupdate etc... could be a right pain for us though as it's a transparent proxy with no exceptions

Edited July 17, 2009 by gshaw

[Michael]

I looked into something similar recently. There are two versions of Google Chrome. A normal installer version which as Ric says, installs within the profile, but there's a second portable version which is just a group of files you can run from anywhere. Exactly like portable Firefox.

 

As for Skype, I was under the impression this was only available as an installer?

[Batman]

Another reason to hate Google!

 

Ahh google haters make me giggle... heehee

[Ric_]

I keep meaning to make Smoothwall mangle the big Chrome button (maybe change it into the school crest or something )

[gshaw]

Ahh google haters make me giggle... heehee

 

Ued to like em but now I think they're evil with an ulterior motive... come on Microsoft take em down a peg or two! Least we know MS are only after monies whereas Google want far more than that...

[Batman]

I have mixed feelings... I love google mail, docs and calendar, and theirs is the only search I'll use. My friend has a Google Phone and that's pretty good, so on the whole I'm positive about Google. Some of their other products don't impress me too much... particularly google chrome.

 

I've used google chrome and found it good at first but got sick of it after a while, I found that their speed optimisation was too quick for some sites and I'd get a "not found" page, even though from the same machine I could get the site no problem using another browser. The Linux version is even worse - although that's mainly because it's not finished yet!

 

I think what we're seeing Google doing at the moment is an attempt to keep moving forward. There's a philosophy that says if you're not growing you're declining, I think it's a normal business approach really. The problem is when a company the size of Google take such an approach it looks like a bid for world domination, and coupled with the reservations some people have about their data harvesting techniques this makes them look a bit unscrupulous.

 

I trust them more than I trust the government though!

[matt40k]

Also had problems with Skype, arse to block as well.

 

Best thing to do is create a group policy which blocks executables from there network area. Then watch as a little pop appears and watch there faces drop.

[gshaw]

I trust them more than I trust the government though!

 

I'd trust a convicted criminal more than I trust the Government

[Michael]

Well the whole problem with Google is that they've relied on other services, in the form of operating systems and browsers to access their services, which is why they've created a browser and now in the process of creating an OS.

 

It makes sense really as they provide many free services to people, but typically, most people would of used a Microsoft OS (which you have to pay for) to access their services. The problem with Linux is only a handful of people who aren't technical have ever heard of it and secondly it still requires too much work to get working. Windows is a more 'out of the box' solution sold by OEMs.

 

If Google can get it right and make it as easy as booting from a CD and prompting the user, it should be very popular. Something Linux could of done, but never really have.

[bossman]

Staff and students cannot run executables here. :)

[_techie_]

I had this a few years back with Google Earth. Kids and staff were installing it, but as soon as the machine was restarted, the software seemed to disappear from control panel, and also the msi database on the clients.

 

I gave up worrying, and spent the time blocking exe's on users home directories etc etc.

 

HTH

_techie_