Task Scheduler : what is the impact of a user account with no password ?

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Clairvaux

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What are exactly the consequences, on Task Scheduler, of having user accounts with no passwords ?


I read in Windows 7 Inside Out at Microsoft Press that scheduled tasks were incompatible with the lack of a password. However, I made some tests, and the reality seems more complex. I removed the password from my administrator account, then :

  • I tried to change the schedule of an existing task under Task Scheduler > change accepted, task executed.
  • I tried to create a new task, to launch a program on a schedule, under Task Scheduler > creation accepted, task executed.
  • I tried to create a new scheduled backup profile with Sync Back > got the message "Windows does not allow empty passwords to be used with Task Scheduler, would you like this restriction removed ?".

So my assumption here is that Task Scheduler will only prevent other programs to create tasks if your current user account has no password, in order to mitigate the risk that some malware could plant a task by itself.


But you would still be able to change or create tasks, provided you do it yourself within Task Scheduler.


Also, what would be that "removing of restriction" done by Sync Back ? Would it concern only the backup schedule currently being created, or would it change the general behaviour of Task Scheduler ? And could it be reverted through Task Scheduler, or would you be dependent on the third-party software having a command to allow this ?

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