Windows NT Workstation was designed to provide the highest levels of system security. Administrators should be aware of the differences in security implementations between Windows NT Workstation and Windows 95 when setting up both peer-to-peer networks and client-server networks.
One of the elements at the core of the Windows NT architecture is integrated security. In its simplest form, Windows NT Workstation includes a secure logon sequence (using the Ctrl+Alt+Del key sequence). This sequence prevents rogue applications from trapping the username and password sequence. In addition, the account lockout feature lets you specify the maximum number of logon attempts. If the correct password is not supplied within this number of attempts, the account cannot be used until an administrator unlocks the account, or a specified period of time has passed. This deters attempts to break into an account by guessing a password.
Windows NT Workstation ensures data and system protection through its ability to define the level of discretionary access control that users can have to the system. The Windows NT security model allows users to apply security to networking, and to all system objects. Administrators can "lock-down" Windows NT Workstation systems to ensure that end users do not damage key system files or change system configurations. The native Windows NT file system (NTFS) provides this security down to the file level.
Windows NT Workstation also supports multi-user capabilities while retaining a high level of security. Several users can share a single computer system while still maintaining total access control over their personal files. Further, multi-user capabilities allow multiple users to have unique desktops, program groups, and other capabilities.
Windows 95 was not designed to meet such high levels of security and data protection. When specifying a Windows 95 client configuration, administrators need to ensure that user-level security is provided by either Windows NT Server or NetWare, in order to provide pass-through authentication for users accessing resources on remote computers.