Disabled user access to the task manager?

daztrouk · 14 Oct 2008 at 10:43

On our domain, users are currently prohibited from access to their task manager. It's a pain in the backside, as when applications misbehave, the user has no way of closing the application, and is often forced to restart the whole system. Is there any risk (security wise or other) of users having access to this feature? The only negative i can think of is that they might close the wrong process by accident. Is this feature locked down on your domain?

Teledude · 14 Oct 2008 at 10:45

I have never seen this locked down anywhere - if a user dives in and closes the wrong thing thats their issue surely?!

VeNT · 14 Oct 2008 at 10:50

I've seen it done at schools etc
people can shut down the AV and run a virus or use the run command to access websites when the internets disabled

ethos · 14 Oct 2008 at 13:27

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/reskit/gp/213.mspx?mfr=true

sidethink · 14 Oct 2008 at 14:16

Its usually locked down to stop folks terminating processes that the IT department want to keep running (like AV for example).

You can also launch programs from Task Manager so its quite dangerous in principle.

UKDTweak · 14 Oct 2008 at 14:18

Our new machines are locked down so agents cant open TM, but on older builds they can open it, however, if they try to end a process it throws an error msg to tell them they are not allowed, all done via GP.

daztrouk · 14 Oct 2008 at 15:40

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'll leave the feature disabled, could potentially be opening a can of worms by allowing access........

Sp00n · 14 Oct 2008 at 17:43

sidethink said:
You can also launch programs from Task Manager so its quite dangerous in principle.

Doesn't the block start > run cancel that out though?

Ev0 · 14 Oct 2008 at 22:43

Surely the AV software et al will be running under the machine system account, or at least an account other than the users own? So if they try to stop a process that's not theirs they won't have permission to.

Stolly · 15 Oct 2008 at 22:49

Its fairly common to see task manager locked out for normal users on corporate builds, and fairly uncommon for users to even know what it is anyway

BoomAM · 18 Oct 2008 at 13:11

We have it disabled here for the exact reasons that are mentioned in this thread.
They dont need it so they dont get it.

HungryHippos · 23 Oct 2008 at 02:10

If i had a nickel for everytime I had to use TM to shutdown Outlook I would be a rich man

smids · 26 Oct 2008 at 12:36

I had this a work and complained about it. Mainly because the bloody apps always used to stop responding - the perils of so many java based apps and plugins... They never re-enabled it, yet there are ways to limit functionality in task manager.

It was annoying to restart when something crashed and died... mainly outlook.