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Securing the registry

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Securing the registry

The Registry contains sensitive data about the computer and its applications and files. A malicious user can use the registry to cause severe damage to the computer. It is important that you maintain a high level of registry security.

The registry is given a high level of security by default. Administrators are given full access to the entire registry, while other users generally have full access to the keys related to their own user accounts (which include HKEY_CURRENT_USER) and read-only access to the keys related to the computer and its software. Users have no access to the keys related to other users' accounts. Users with the appropriate permissions for a given key can make changes to the permissions for that key and for any keys it contains.

For help securing the registry, see Maintain Registry Security. For help using permissions, see Access Control.