Alright, I'm sitting on a Windows XP Pro machine that has network logins. I need to update Flash. I can't do that without being an admin on this machine. I can't access most sites that outline such a task because they're blocked by websense. I'm lucky that I know the workaround for UER and a few other sites I visit, and it's NOT a proxy.

I have command access. I can't us runas because I don't know the global admin PW. I need to escalate THIS account to admin without tripping the antivirus.

Any ideas?

Is this on a Windows / active directory domain?

Can you run gpedit.msc from the command line? The group policy editor. You might be able to trick it into giving you some privledges. I did that at work once.

I couldn't change my desktop theme (stupid thing to lock down), but I could simply flip the switch that was blocking my ability to do that.

Another thins is you might be able to research how many files flash uses. If it's basic enough, install it at home, copy the installed files, and place them in the correct directory on your work computer overwriting the prvious version's thus updating flash. That's all theory though. The registry might come to screw you over, or you might get version mismatches or something if it's not done right.

Access denied.

Oh, I forgot about this.

www.petri.co.il/fo...rator_password.htm

(might be blocked by websense too)

There's a few other sites too. Basically for work (for an actual business need) I downloaded this utility, burned it as a bootable disk, and ran it. It copies a password hash for the admin accounts to a file. Then you take the file and upload it to this website (they're only local admin accounts/not network ones so not a security risk) and after 2-3 days this website cracks them for you. Faster if you pay them to do it.


There's lots of sites that lists options like this:

http://www.wikihow...rget-Your-Password

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CCsQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mydigitallife.i nfo%2F2007%2F05%2F27%2Fforgot-windows-administrator-password-ways-to-recover-and-reset-password-in-vi staxp20032knt%2F&ei=-HltTLHWMcP98AbtnKTqCw&usg=AFQjCNHezo60_zSpEuAClzzF0vWagsI6Hw&sig2=Dhtj50WwHdHIuv QXE5mSGg


But I forget the one which was actually a service and cracked it for you and told you what the password was. I preferred that one because it didn't write any changes to the harddrive, it told you what the PW was. Other ones will totally clear out the password and let you set your own. With our XP images though, after setting your own PW, it would be cleared after a reboot.

Maybe this is it: www.loginrecovery.com/

It's websense'd at work for me.


Then of course with the local admin, you can gran yourself local rights and install software locally for all users of the machine (you when you log on with your network account).


Hope this helps if you can decipher my rambling.

I have to make this a take home project, since it's websensed for me as well. It's not uber urgent, but I do like websites loading correctly, so a Flash update is quite needed.

From this site, this is the one that would do it without writing to the HD at all. Highly recommend if it still only takes 1-3 days for them to crack it and it's still free.

Out of 10 machines, only two it coulnd't crack and the passwords were something like this:

KJYfifjhgjg56415fsd56sd


The others were things like
P@sswo0rd1
and stuff.

Also, the local administor logon may be disabled if you have a sly admin. You have to enable the administer logon from safe mode before you can even logon as administrator.

How's the IT competence? I have a boot disk that does nothing put replace the password hash for user accounts with the hash for a blank password. This permanently changes the password for that account (you never do find the password and instead burn it to the ground) but it's immediate.

I think this is it

After that set it to something random and deny knowledge.

Posted by AnAppleSnail How's the IT competence?

IT competence is low if Flash is not kept constantly updated to the latest version.

It's not that smart, but it's competent enough to keep records of damn near everything. I have to be careful of files written to disk, but that's mostly out of paranoia. It's an elementary school, so I'm not sure how anal they are about things like that. And I cannot change the password. I have to either escalate the user to admin or get the PW.

Why not ask the IT staff to do it for you?



for shitsngiggles try typing
control userpasswords2
into the command prompt

---

I have one last resort option for you, though I would not recommend it, but think it should be noted.

there is a program I have but never have needed called
AccMaker.exe

you can google it for a download link

it creates another administrator account called "hack" some people have problems deleting it, I assure you you can delete anything in safe mode if you delete the offending program and then the account. My anti-virus (Avira) doesn't pick up on it.

what I would do if you try and use this program is

install the program

install hack administrator

create another administrator account

boot into safe mode

log into second administrator account

delete the program

delete the hack administrator account

Posted by AnAppleSnail How's the IT competence? I have a boot disk that does nothing put replace the password hash for user accounts with the hash for a blank password. This permanently changes the password for that account (you never do find the password and instead burn it to the ground) but it's immediate. I think this is it After that set it to something random and deny knowledge.

And it still may not even be that bad. They are relatively safe if obtained from a reputable site. I actually changed the password via this method (or similar but same technique) and it would work while I was logged on. But, after a reboot or two my custom set PW would be wiped and returned back to what it originally was. Quite surprising. IT had something up their sleeve. Something at bootup would clear certain changes on the harddisk and set them back to the original XP image they use.

Posted by wannabeotaku It's not that smart, but it's competent enough to keep records of damn near everything. I have to be careful of files written to disk, but that's mostly out of paranoia. It's an elementary school, so I'm not sure how anal they are about things like that. And I cannot change the password. I have to either escalate the user to admin or get the PW.

I doubt a public employee IT person will ever notice this.
If you did change the PW, it still should not effect you even if they question it. You have plausible deniability on your side, and besides, they're always using the network admin logons for their super power, they don't need local unless it is the last resort, hence why often the local administrator account is disabled by default by a lot of IT staff. Protip: If you were to change the password, don't change it to 'LOLIhaxdYourPuter' but change it to something plausible that they would have set themselves e.g. 'ECSAdmin1' (if the school was called ECS) so that if they ever find it, it seems like someone on their IT staff just set the wrong password.

Well, the wife figured it out. She just asked to be a local admin on the machines in her room and she was given admin rights on those machines. Though knowing the IT there, they simply promoted her account to admin because it's easier.