The Indispensable Security Tool

WinReporter is an indispensable security tool.  It allows you to quickly scan the network and produce reports that show:

• Divergence from the security policies you have established
   
• Systems with abnormal configurations
   
• Risky user behaviors

Identifying Security Vulnerabilities

Here are just a few examples of the security vulnerabilities WinReporter will detect:

Useless and unapproved shares
Extraneous network shares are often the the first sign of viruses on your domain.  Many viruses create shares in order to open up access to your network.  If the shares you find are not created by viruses, they provide an open invitation to viruses!  WinReporter makes it easy to see any new shares created on your domain.

Useless and unapproved services running on workstations
For example, an application-embedded MSDE will install an SQL service that can allow propagation of the SQL Slammer worm.  WinReporter will let you see when an SQL service has been installed, so you can make sure that the appropriate security patches are also installed.

Unapproved programs and applications
Use of Kazaa (or similar programs such as eDonkey or Gnutella) on your domain can cause bandwidth shortages and storage issues, and perhaps create other administrative headaches, even sometimes leading to questions of legal liability.  Worse, you may find users who have installed network sniffers or password-cracking programs.  WinReporter will let you see whenever these programs are installed.

Unapproved local accounts and local administrators
Users often assume privileges without the authorization of their administrator.  WinReporter will let you know.

Monitoring Version Levels and Verifying that Hot Fixes Are Installed

Even if WinReporter were not so important for identifying security vulnerabilities, it would still more than repay its purchase price just for its ability to let you know which of your systems (and which applications on each system) are at which version level, and which have the current hot fixes installed. 

If you administer a Windows network for a living, you know that the single greatest time sink today is installing critical security patches.  If you don't install hot fixes quickly, you're leaving (widely advertised!) holes in your domain security.  If you do diligently install every hot fix from every vendor, you have little time to do anything else!

WinReporter can greatly reduce the time required to keep your systems and applications at appropriate patch levels.  Monitoring version levels and verifying that hot fixes have been installed is the most time-intensive part of the job.  With WinReporter on your side, any time you need to, you can quickly produce a report showing you exactly what patch level of Internet Explorer, for example, is installed on every workstation on your domain.