Administrative shares allow administrators access to all drives and partitions on a Windows network. They are important for corporate networks, but can be a security risk. Users can disable them, and administrators should be careful with login information and passwords.
Administrative share is a default share setting in Windows networks to allow administrators access to all drives and partitions on the network. The system automatically creates and controls these shares, although users can disable or delete them if necessary. These sharing settings are most important for corporate networks, where administrators need quick access to networked computers and also need high-level permissions to perform various tasks.
Addresses for administrative shares can be reached by typing the computer and drive identifier, followed by a dollar sign, such as C$. You will need to be logged in as an administrator to access the share. Other administrative shares include the IPC$, PRINT$ and FAX$ shares for these network functions. The administrator can access print settings remotely, for example, on a user’s computer.
The operating system will hide an administrative share. In a list of available shares and settings, these shares are not displayed. This is a security measure to make such shares less accessible. Even hidden, they can be a security problem, as some viruses and exploits take advantage of the administrative share setting. They can spread across a network on these shares and can cause substantial damage. Administrators may want to disable some or all of these shares for security reasons on a corporate network.
Individual computer users at home have access to the administrative share, but that’s usually not a significant cause for concern. Those who work on wireless networks should ensure their networks are protected for security and can configure their home networks to restrict administrative access. Users who still have concerns or who manage confidential and sensitive material for work can disable administrative sharing. Employees with workplace safety concerns that they bring home can also meet with the information technology department to discuss steps they can take to protect their safety.
Administrators working on a corporate network such as an office or building network need to be careful with their usernames and passwords. It is not recommended to leave a computer logged in with an administrator’s login information, as anyone who passes could use the administrator’s account. High-level access could cause an information breach, or a user could unknowingly create a security hole in the system without realizing it. Information technology departments may require administrators to periodically change their passwords and use random password generation to increase the security of their passwords.
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