Baseline Security Analyzer

Although people are starting to become more willing to keep their computers secure with frequent security updates, sometimes it’s easy to forget about all the other vulnerabilities computers may have. Fortunately, some programs help keep things in check. Microsoft’s Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) is a free program that goes through a user’s computer making a note of all the potential security misconfigurations it finds (checking Windows settings, registry keys, installed Microsoft products, etc). MBSA checks everything from IE web content “zones” to the permissions of user accounts allowed to use the CmdExec role in SQL Server. It even checks the strength of passwords and software security update statuses.

Although it was designed for scanning multiple computers on a network, it does just fine scanning a single machine. Even if not used by security professionals, MBSA is still quite a useful tool for the average Windows user to have.

Each Thursday, Security Musings features a security-related technology or tool. Featured items do not imply a recommendation by Gemini Security Solutions. For more information about how Gemini Security Solutions can help you solve your security issues, contact us!