Re: Secure Storage of Secrets in Windows

[bronek () wpi com pl (Bronek Kozicki)]

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To disable password caching in  Windows NT one should set following
registry value to 0. By default it's not set, and assumed to be 10 .

Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Name: CachedLogonsCount
Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 0 to 50

Information about this registry value can be found in KB, article
Q172931.

Bronek Kozicki

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ICQ UID: 25404796            PGP KeyID: 0x4A30FA9A
07EE 10E6 978C 6B33 5208  094E BD61 9067 4A30 FA9A



- -----Original Message-----
From: Bugtraq List [mailto:BUGTRAQ () NETSPACE ORG]On Behalf Of Nick
FitzGerald
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 1999 2:35 PM
To: BUGTRAQ () NETSPACE ORG
Subject: Re: Secure Storage of Secrets in Windows


> The Win32 API provides such service. Although in the past it was
> found that its encryption was rather weak Microsoft claims to have
> fixed it, no one else has claimed otherwise, and its better than
> nothing. (References:
> http://www.netsys.com/firewalls/firewalls-9512/0442.html
> http://www.geek-girl.com/bugtraq/1995_4/0138.html ).
>
> So here is a reminder to Windows application programs that you can
> use WNetCachePassword and WNetGetCachedPassword, which in some
> documentation MS calls the Master Password API.

Indeed.

And for admins who wish to prevent user machines from caching
passwords the following Win9x REG file may be useful:

   REGEDIT4


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Network]
   "DisablePwdCaching"=dword:00000001

Apply that to a client machine then nuke all PWL files in the Windows
dir and you need not worry whether future vulnerabilities might open
you to exposure from cached passwords.

I imagine there is something similar for NT.  Anyone know the
details?


Regards,

Nick FitzGerald


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