[flir]

You're right, but on my work environment I have two accounts - "me" and "me with elevated permissions". (I don't say "admin" because there's still a bunch of stuff I can't do, like run netsh). I assumed that was the normal pattern in Windows-land?

[WorldMaker]

It is something of the normal pattern, it always seems like companies love it. It always seems like UAC with extra steps to me. It's not that much more secure than taking UAC as-is and dialing up the security settings on UAC prompts to require a password every time. It's often amusing to me that everywhere I've seen require "secondary accounts" for admin permissions has dialed down the overall security settings of UAC below the defaults.

[Repulsion9513]

Hacker accesses some legacy application that verifies the user's credentials against LDAP. Maybe it's payroll or something. Hacker logs passwords until someone who happens to be a org-wide local admin (or worse yet DA) wants their paystub. Hacker now has admin privileges.

(Also, if UAC settings are turned down, that might mean the UAC prompt isn't on the secure desktop, and any malware can thus trivially elevate itself if your everyday account is an admin... etc.)

[cchance]

Thats a ... ya no, thats definitely not the default pattern