Windows 7 / Security and Privacy

UAC Heuristics

If you run an application setup file, UAC will prompt you for administrator credentials. This makes sense because most installation routines require elevated privileges. However, installers created before Windows Vista do not include a manifest, so Windows Vista and Windows 7 have to detect heuristically which executables are setup files. By contrast, 64-bit executables always have a requested execution manifest.

To do this, Windows examines 32-bit executables without a requested execution level manifest that would be run with standard privileges. If the executable meets those requirements and has a filename or metadata that includes keywords such as install, setup, or update (or several other indicators that it might be an installer), UAC prompts for elevated privileges before running the file. If UAC does not prompt you for administrator credentials for an install, right-click the setup file and then click Run As Administrator. Without administrative privileges, most installations will fail.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Windows 7 Client Protection
  2. Understanding the Risk of Malware
  3. User Account Control in Windows 7
  4. UAC for Standard Users
  5. UAC for Administrators
  6. UAC User Interface
  7. Secure Desktop
  8. How Windows Determines Whether an Application Needs Administrative Privileges
  9. How to Control UAC Using Application Properties
  10. How UAC Examines the Application Manifest
  11. UAC Heuristics
  12. UAC Virtualization
  13. UAC and Startup Programs
  14. Compatibility Problems with UAC
  15. How to Configure UAC
  16. Group Policy Settings
  17. Control Panel
  18. Msconfig.exe
  19. How to Configure Auditing for Privilege Elevation
  20. Other UAC Event Logs
  21. Best Practices for Using UAC
  22. AppLocker
  23. AppLocker Rule Types
  24. Auditing AppLocker Rules
  25. DLL Rules
  26. Custom Error Messages
  27. Using AppLocker with Windows PowerShell
  28. Using Windows 7 Defender
  29. Understanding Windows Defender
  30. Automatic Scanning
  31. Real-Time Protection
  32. Windows Defender Alert Levels
  33. Understanding Microsoft SpyNet
  34. Configuring Windows Defender Group Policy
  35. Configuring Windows Defender on a Single Computer
  36. How to Determine Whether a Computer Is Infected with Spyware
  37. Best Practices for Using Windows Defender
  38. How to Troubleshoot Problems with Unwanted Software
  39. Network Access Protection
  40. Forefront