What is vulnerable on a pc while its not logged-in

terreaultguy · 24-08-2008, 07:52 AM

Hi,
the new guy has 2 questions

I have 3 PCs at home connected to a router that has a cable net access.

I got up today and powered on pc no 1 . So windows Vista booted and waited for me to log in. Wille I got breakfeast and coffe. I noticed its HD light was flashing a lot.

My question is how vulnerable is the pc at that point if it stays on with out logging in?

My first test was to log in on pc 1, and I powerred on pc 2 but did not log in on pc 2.
Since my 3 pcs use the same workgroup they all have access to each other. So I tried to get access to files from pc2 from pc 1 and I could.

Does a PC not logged in have protection from its firewall and anti virus protection?

Thanks in advance
Guy

**Digerati** · 24-08-2008, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Does a PC not logged in have protection from its firewall and anti virus protection?

If the PC is running, and your firewall and AV program are set up properly, then yes, they are protecting your computer, even if not logged in. That said, if your computer has already been compromised, then the firewall may see that activity, coming from a local PC, as legit. So, you need to make sure your system if free of malware, just to be sure. I recommend cleaning out the crud with Windows Disk Cleanup or ATF Cleaner, then running a supplemental scan with Malwarebytes's Anti-Malware (MBAM).

The drive activity you see is typical. Remember, Windows is NEVER idle! If you are idle, Windows and other programs you have installed get busy "in the background" - indexing files, backing up email, running scans, checking for updates, etc. So I would not be too concerned with that.

One area that you need to make sure is set up right is your "Trusted Zones" in each PC's firewall settings. You need to make sure only the other computers on your network (everything on your side of the router) are allowed in each computer's trusted zone.

terreaultguy · 25-08-2008, 08:15 AM

Hi,
Thanks Digerati your suggestions will be usefull.

Having a Home LAN is new stuff for me. And I am the only Admin and User on all the 3 PCs.
I have TP-LINK Router TL-WR642G. the wireless is Disabled and the router firewall is enabled.
But I am still learning about configuring it. My main PC has Norton 360 protection but the others have free ware anti virus and use the windows firewall.

So thanks and I will investigate more about "Trusted Zones"

bye, Guy

**Digerati** · 25-08-2008, 02:16 PM

Quote:

And I am the only Admin and User on all the 3 PCs.

That's good!

Quote:

the wireless is Disabled

That's very good!

The main thing about a Trusted Zone is you don't want it to be larger than you need. For example, you have 3 PCs. You might also have a NAS - network-attached storage, and a print server (highly recommended!) for 5 devices. You could add each device (their IP) in to your Zone individually, or you could create a range of IP addresses that includes those IPs, which is what I do.