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View Full Version : How would you block unauthorized saves onto the hard drive of a public computer?



FanInAZ
11-21-2018, 02:07 PM
Right now, I'm using a computer at the training center that I got my peer support certification at. While waiting for my appointment with my job coach, I was offered the use of one of their computers they have set up for those who want to do job searches. Yes, they said I can visit this site as long as no one is wanting to use it for a job search. After I was logged on, I immediately noticed that there were at least a dozen Word documents on the desktop, some of which were resumes. If I was a criminal, I'd have a treasure trove of personal info right in front of me. That's not to mention that there's a 2nd computer in this unattended room that I could log into in order to get more.

I immediately informed a staff member about this & she told me that they tell everybody not to save anything on these computers, but they do it anyways. I suggested to her that they should check each night for people having saved such documents each night when powering down the computers, but I'm sure there has to be a way to block any unauthorized saving onto a hard drive in order to prevent this from happening in the 1st place.

FanInAZ
11-21-2018, 02:14 PM
I forgot to mention that it's a Windows 7 OS.

MasterShake
11-21-2018, 02:22 PM
On most Windows Machines, the Administrator can restrict access to drives. I think that will restrict them from saving anything locally if setup properly, so whomever is handling IT there should be able to set that up. If not, there are several guides out there like this one: https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/8035/how-to-restrict-access-to-drive-in-my-computer-on-windows/

FanInAZ
11-21-2018, 03:07 PM
On most Windows Machines, the Administrator can restrict access to drives. I think that will restrict them from saving anything locally if setup properly, so whomever is handling IT there should be able to set that up. If not, there are several guides out there like this one: https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/8035/how-to-restrict-access-to-drive-in-my-computer-on-windows/

Thanks, I read this to my job coach who said he'd put in a work order.

Shazam!
11-21-2018, 04:48 PM
I encountered this same problem at the Staples print area. There were all kinds of open docs at one of the Stations I was using.

I am of the belief it is up to the person to take extra precautions to protect themselves.

Davii
11-21-2018, 07:27 PM
They need to set up a guest account and only allow access to what they want people to be able to do.