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Turn Off Anonymous Access to Your Computer

Your computer cannot be configured to allow any anonymous access.  Letting just anybody have access, even if it's limited, is like leaving your front door not just unlocked but open.

This means that you may not set up:

  • Public Folders, where anyone can read and copy files you put there;
  • Drop Folders, where anyone can leave a file on you computer; or
  • Open Shares, a folder where anyone can add, delete or change files.

If you need to give others the ability to access files on your computer, you should set up a separate username and password for each person.  If people only need to be able to retrieve files from your computer, set the folder up so it is read-only. See the step-by-step procedures for:

For faculty and staff, departmental fileservers are an alternative for exchanging files. Ask your department’s technical support staff if there is one you can use.  A more secure mechanism for sharing sensitive files is the Cornell DropBox server.