We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Networking

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Is the Administrative Share?

Mary McMahon
By
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 10,170
Share

The administrative share is a default sharing setting in Windows networks to allow administrators to access all drives and partitions on the network. The system creates and controls these shares automatically, although users can disable or delete them if necessary. These sharing settings are most relevant to corporate networks, where administrators need to be able to quickly access computers in the network and also need high level permissions to perform various tasks.

Addresses for administrative shares can be reached by typing in the computer and drive identification, followed by a dollar sign, for example C$. It will be necessary to be logged on as an administrator to access the share. Other administrative shares include IPC$, PRINT$, and FAX$ shares for these networked functions. The administrator can remotely access the print settings, 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 do not show up. This is a security measure to make such shares less accessible. Even hidden, they can be a security concern, as some viruses and exploits take advantage of the administrative share setup. They can spread through a network over these shares and may do substantial damage. Administrators may decide to disable some or all of these shares for security on a company network.

Individual computer users at home have administrative share access, but they are not usually a significant cause for concern. Those working on wireless networks should make sure their networks are protected for security, and can configure their home networks to limit administrative access. Users who still have concerns or who handle confidential and sensitive material for work can disable the administrative share. Employees with security concerns about work they take home can also meet with the information technology department to discuss the steps they can take to protect their security.

Administrators working on an enterprise network like an office or building network need to be careful with their usernames and passwords. It is not advisable to leave a computer logged in with an administrator's access information, as anyone passing by would be able to use the administrator's account. The high level access could result in an information breach, or a user could unwittingly 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.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGeek researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

Learn more
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-the-administrative-share.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.