Windows 10: AutoPlay Security Concerns when Computer is even Locked?

With Windows 10, I dont know if this security issue is present or not by sticking in a CD/DVD or USB flash stick into a computer and malicius code can execute infecting the system.


My question is, was this the thing of the past with older Windows versions before Windows 10 was released?

Another question, when Auto Play is enabled letting all programs to launch automatically, does this only occur when a user is logged on, or can malicious code can even execute automatically using the Auto Play feature EVEN when the system is at the Windows logon prompt or Locked?

Here is an article on how to disable Auto Play overall in Windows 10.
https://www.howtogeek.com/236241/how...in-windows-10/


But my question is mainly, that can this be a security issue even when the machine locked or at the bootup Windows logon prompt?

:)

 

How to sever connection between a program and an iPhone

Hi Greg,

Thank you for posting on Microsoft Communities.

I will be glad to help you with the issue you have with the computer. I understand the frustration when things don't work the way it should.

AutoPlay lets you choose which program to use for different kinds of digital media, such as music CDs or pictures from your digital camera.

When you turn AutoPlay on, you can choose what should happen when you insert different types of digital media into your computer. For example, you can choose which digital media player is used to play CDs. When AutoPlay is turned off, you are prompted to
choose what you want to do when you insert digital media into your computer.

• 
  Open AutoPlay by clicking the Start button , and type
  Control Panel. In the search box, type autoplay, and then click
  AutoPlay.
  
• 
  Do one of the following:
  
  • 
    To turn AutoPlay on, select the Use AutoPlay for all media and devices check box.
    
  • 
    To turn AutoPlay off, clear the Use AutoPlay for all media and devices check box.
    
• 
  Click Save.
  

Hope this information is helpful.

 

Autoplay not working

I have Windows 10 with the update. When I connect an external drive to my computer the automatic popup window for File Explorer does not appear even though I turned on AutoPlay under "Use AutoPlay for all media and devises". The removable drive section
is set to open file explorer. Plug and Play in Serivces.msc is running and set to automatic. Why will the folder not open?

 

It was Autorun that was the principle security risk here, rather than Autoplay.

Autorun could lead to the execution of an exe file on the inserted medium. You can see the possible risk there.

Autoplay options are essentially a response to the type of medium inserted and the media on it.
If you inspect the options available here
Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\AutoPlay

for each category, there is little that should pose an obvious security risk.

 

Is autorun still a security issue on Windows 10?

My question is, can anyone just walk to a locked computer and stick a USB device in it and execute malware on it?
Or does the user need to be logged on for that to happen?

That's my question here.

And is there a way to disable Autorun from the Windows 10 user interface?
I know that Autoplay is there in the Control Panel, but what about Autorun options?

 

Perhaps your difficulty is that the terms Autorun and Autoplay became used almost interchangeably, when they were/are two different things. The use of Autorun to launch a program was removed in Win 7.
Windows 7 USB Autorun.inf

Thus the ability to launch an exe by this mechanism when inserting a device (an inf file) no longer exists.

If you do as I say or have already done so at most you can launch a program to play media or open explorer to view the files on an inserted device using Autoplay.

Given that you can assess the relative risk.

Here's a tutorial on Autoplay from the Tutorial section
Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10 Windows 10 Hardware Drivers Tutorials
which you're free to browse and search:
Windows 10 Tutorial Index Windows 10 Tutorials

 

I've set mine as shown, hopefully that means it won't auto run a program when inserted.

 

The program Autorun executed was a program on the removable device.

A fundamental difference is that the program launched by Autoplay is one you have installed on your PC, and by definition can be only within a restricted range related to the content and media type.

The control panel exposes more options which extend at least as far again as those shown.

 

No - there is nothing to worry about. The facility to run programs automatically from external devices has been removed. In the past you could make a file called Autorun.inf and put this line in Code: OPEN=DodgyProgram.exe[/quote] That would automatically run the program DodgyProgram.exe when you plugged your USB key or inserted your CD. This functionality was removed by Microsoft in Windows Vista as it was (rather obviously in retrospect) very dangerous. See Autorun.inf Entries (Windows)

Autorun.inf isn't dropped though - you can still do some neat stuff with it if you are so inclined - for example I have this as my autorun.inf on my E drive to specify the drive name and icon Code: [autorun] icon=Kyhi.ico label=Kyhi Rescue[/quote] so it looks like this in file explorer.

 

so it looks like this in file explorer.



[/quote] That's great! I'm sure @Kyhi will like to see that.


@win10freak
You could always use Panda's USB vaccine or Bitdefender's USB Immunizer, for extra protection.
http://www.askvg.com/panda-usb-vacci...lware-attacks/

But, I don't think there's anything to protect you from one of these, unless you cap the USB ports off.
USB Killer, yours for $50, lets you easily fry almost every device | Ars Technica

.

 

If Autorun was dropped in Windows 7, then why does the Group Policy for it in Windows 10 still shows to Enable or Disable it? Should I just disable Autorun from the Control Panel or should I disable it only from the Group Policy settings like shown in the image?

This is really confusing, as most tech articles out there refer Autoplay as the same as Autorun or the other way around...

And my main concern, can Autorun be executed automatically even when the machine is locked or the user is not logged on?

 

No, as said above; the ability to launch an exe on the external medium from the inf file was dropped. Not Autorun.

My post #4.

 

So for extra added security, would it be wise to Enable those Group Policy settings as shown in my image?

 

At the risk of repeating what @dalchina said (again) Autoplay and Autorun aren't the same.

Autoplay will notice a CD with music on (for example) and launch GrooveMusic to play it.

Autorun is a feature that doesn't exist any more where you could run a program. It doesn't matter what you set the group policy setting to - it will not work. If you look at the description for that policy you will see it doesn't actually do anything (if you have Vista or a later version of Windows). "If you disable or not configure (sic) this policy setting, Windows Vista or later will prompt the user", "If you enable this policy an administrator can change the behavior to <snip> automatically run the command"

This isn't true for the OPEN command though - only other commands you can put in the autorun.inf file. You just can't make Windows run a program on insertion of external media - it simply hasn't worked since Windows XP.

There are methods to make the insertion of a USB run a program but they are outside what we can discuss on this forum (because they are malware basically) and always involve somehow installing an extra program on the host computer.

I'd leave it. If it makes you happier to disable it then disable it but the end result is the same.

I have actually written a program that polls USB ports and if it finds the correct USB inserted will copy all documents from my downloads folder to that USB. The point is so I can just copy downloads onto a USB to put in my TV. There isn't a way (that I am aware of and I spent a long time looking) that you can do this without having the program running on the host PC checking.

Your Windows 10 PC will not automatically run a program when a USB or DVD is inserted unless you already have malware in which case it is already too late.

 

Very good explanation. Thanks a lot.