Are My Windows 8 Concerns Founded or Unfounded?

I bought a new computer a couple months ago, and it came with Windows 7 with a free upgrade to 8. I haven't taken advantage of it yet, because I've been using an old laptop with Vista, so 7 is still pretty new to me. And I like it. In the interest of keeping up with the times, though, I'm still considering upgrading to 8.

Anyway, I've noticed that Windows 8 seems to be more like a Mac in the sense that you get One Login to Rule Them All. It logs you in to your computer, it logs you in to your email, it logs you in to Skype, and I don't even know what else you would need a MS Live account for, but I'm guessing it's a lot of other stuff. Anyway, fast rewind to many months ago, when I saw an article on the internet about some poor chump who lost all his pictures and at least his Twitter account because somebody hacked his Apple ID, and they got total access to both his computer and his phone. Since reading that, I've made sure that all my online things have no common passwords, are associated with various emails, and have different usernames

It seems to me like Windows 8 is going in the exact opposite direction that I'm going in with my personal security. While I appreciate the convenience of what they're doing, I'm resistant to going along with it. I've read that an account merge with Skype can be avoided if you install Skype from the desktop and not the start page. That alone makes me mad that I might have to fuss with that. But the idea of having the bulk of my computer accessible through my MS Live account sends shivers up and down my spine. If somebody hacks my Hotmail account, have they also successfully hacked my whole computer?

And maybe more importantly, am I crippling my W8 usability if I choose not associate my login with a MS Live account?

 

My X120e is running W8, and although I have an Outlook.com account, I chose not to associate my install with it (I don't really use Skydrive, Mail, Calendar, etc, so I have no need to stay logged in). Skype is easy enough to log into manually. So no, it doesn't cripple W8 usability not to use a Live account.

It's good to be careful with your online passwords, but simply bringing together all of MS's services into one login isn't going to make you any more vulnerable (see Android or iOS bringing together Google and Apple services, for example).

 

This particular concern is unfounded. You don't have to use the Microsoft login. You're free to use the same approach you used in Windows 7.

 

Actually that story sounds familiar...but it was Amazon whom let the hacker get the info which allowed the hacker to get the user account info and that lead them to getting the twitter and AppleID. So if that is the story we have to clear up some confusion it was Amazon that caused the problem to start with. But making sure your passwords are not the same would be a good start to protect yourself as well. But this hacker in that story was well versed in hacking and not your typical hacker they knew exactly what they were doing and whom to go after. Us the Regular John/Jane Doe aren't worth their time and effort we got spammers that will take that part up.

 

You don't have to link your facebook, twitter, etc accounts. You can, but you don't have to. You don't even have to link Windows 8 to a Microsoft account; it can be setup with a local account just like Windows 7.

 

Yes, you have the option to opt out of streamlined cloud syncing across any and all applications. As others pointed out, you can use a local account, which is what you use currently for previous versions of Windows. This account is stored strictly on you hard drive, and is not accessible beyond that.

 

There are some benefits to using a windows live account if you already use some microsoft services, however, I would make the administrator account a local one.

 

No arguments with that. OP's concern is having an account (let alone one with Administrator rights) accessible through the cloud, though. I suppose that's a fair concern when you look at Facebook accounts and Sony Playstation Network accounts reportedly being compromised more than usual, lately.

 

I'm (decreasingly) concerned about having a computer account accessible via the cloud, and also about having my hotmail, skype and computer account be connected together. Lose one, lose them all.

I'm looking at installing W8 on my laptop, so my admin account will be the only one on the machine. Why would you not make the admin account local?

 

I am the only one using my computer and regardless of the OS installed, I always run two accounts, one with admin privileges that I almost never use and a regular user account that I use on a daily basis. If I need to install something, I can either switch to the admin account or I can simply enter my admin account password from the user account. I would always make the admin account local, I just tend to leave it there and only use it when it's time to update software.

 

Makes atleast 4 of us

 

It's also great since it prevents anyone that can be near my computer (prankster friends) from messing with the system either. I also sometimes have to leave the office and while I usually lock my comp, in the event that I forget and that it hasn't locked itself yet, it also prevents random people from tampering with the system. Not that anyone I know would try to tamper with my system, but you never know and you can never be too careful.

Also, running as a regular user afford an extra layer of security if something makes it past your AV/AM. A thin layer, sure, but still better than nothing.

If you were to use a Windows Live ID, here's what I would do: make sure that ID has a password that is radically different from anything else that you're using for other services, don't use that ID to sign up on random sites, forums, etc. and change the password on a regular basis. Also, use a local admin account and make the account tied to the Windows Live ID a regular user account, you can also disable remote access to your machine so that in the event that your ID gets hacked, the hacker doesn't have access to your computer anyways, keep a backup of your data in case you can't recover your ID though.

 

unfounded. it's fairly easy to come up with an easy-to-remember character string that'd take millions of hours to crack. i don't know about setting up multiple accounts, but a strong password is the best idea for any and all of your accounts imho.

windows live id is now microsoft account by the way, and the maximum permissible password characters is sixteen if anybody's counting.

 

Hey Tijo, I think you misspoke here, because everything else you mentioned seems to indicate that the admin account should be local only. It makes more sense to me to have the admin account local anyway, because then a hacked microsoft account does not equate to a hacked admin account on the computer.

I never really considered setting up two accounts just for myself. What are the benefits to that? The big penalty I see is a lack of convenience, but I'm not clear on what you gain by doing so. Is it just security if someone gets hold of your machine?

 

Yep basically security, or moreso, protection from goofballs that decide to install some crap on your machine when you're not around. For a home environment definitely not needed. Not even for school or work unless you're around people you can't trust. I personally futz around too much and constantly need admin privileges so it wouldn't work for me.

 

Yeah, there was a typo, it should have been would [make the admin account a local one] instead of wouldn't.