The first line of defense in this scenario is to run the latest Operating system(s) fully patched. The exploit code used by WannaCrypt was designed to work only against unpatched Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 (or earlier OS) systems,... Read More
Specops Software Blog
Remove Specops Authentication Client Start menu shortcuts
The Specops Authentication is a shared Client that provides functionality for Specops Password Policy, Specops uReset, and Specops Password Reset. For uReset & Password Reset, the Client provides Start menu shortcuts, a Reset Password link on the login screen,... Read More
Password Strength Meters – more harm than good?
Fact one, passwords are here to stay, at least for the near future. Fact two, users have not gotten any better at making them stronger, or using additional factors during authentication. To help users with this seemingly impossible task,... Read More
PXE boot, GUIDs, and MAC addresses in Specops Deploy and WDS
In this blog post, I will describe the core functionality in the PXE boot used by Specops Deploy. I will address prestaging, and how the MAC address, or UUID work when finding objects in AD. Pre-boot eXecution Environment (PXE)... Read More
How things work: Group Policy Processing
I have recently seen an error message appear during the first logon following a Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Below is information on how the problem manifests itself, the underlying technology (hardcore Group Policy knowledge) and how to work around... Read More
Configuring Chrome and Firefox for Windows Integrated Authentication
Windows Integrated Authentication allows a users’ Active Directory credentials to pass through their browser to a web server. Windows Integrated Authentication is enabled by default for Internet Explorer but not Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Users who use the... Read More
Enable .Net in your client OS
.NET is a programming framework created by Microsoft that developers can use to easily create applications. .Net applications are commonly used by desktop and web services. The .Net framework must be installed on your client machine in order to... Read More
Windows 10 Capture: considerations for best practice
In this blog post, we will provide some best practice considerations when creating a Windows 10 image with Specops Deploy. We will walk-through the process using Specops Deploy, and include some terminology to help you follow along. First, you... Read More
“Untrusted Connection” error in Firefox & Intermediate Certificates
There are many reasons why you may see an SSL error, some of which will vary by browser. Even if the SSL certificate is installed correctly, you are not necessarily in the clear. One of our password reset customers... Read More
“123456” and “password” continue to be the most commonly used passwords, when will people learn?
Here is a list of the top 25 most common passwords of 2016. Your policy may not allow weak passwords such as 123456 or password, but even if the password complexity requirement is enabled in the standard Windows Password... Read More