How in the Tech

Verify your Windows security state with Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

By Adam Myers ⋅ November 19, 2009 ⋅ Tags: Security, Windows

Whether we all want to admit it or not, we are all systems administrators. It is each of ours responsibility to ensure that the computer under our direct control is secure – the anti-virus is up to date and all the latest software patches are applied. Whether you are a single computer user, the resident guru in the household, or the IT guy at your company the job remains the same, though scale clearly comes into play. With just a single computer it isn’t overly difficult to assess the current security state of your PC but things tend to fall through the cracks as the number of computers increase. How are you ever to scale accordingly?

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer is a free utility available by Microsoft the can lessen the effort necessary to ensure your Windows computers are in tip top shape, at least as it relates to security. The security analyzer can scan a local computer or a range of remote computers – defined either by IP addresses or Domains. Configurable scan options range from weak passwords, administrative vulnerabilities, IIS and SQL exploits, and general Windows security updates. Set your preferences on the single screen and click Start Scan.

The time it takes to complete the scan is directly related to the number of computers indicated. In my testing of a subnet range of 50 computers it took a couple minutes to complete; easily acceptable.

Upon completion the security assessment report will indicate any risks identified with respect to your selected scan options from the initial step. Risks are grouped by appropriate categories and it’s pretty simple to scan the report quickly and visually key in on problem PCs.

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer is compatible with all Microsoft operating systems since Windows 2000 including XP, Vista, and Windows 7 in both 32 and 64 bit architectures.