Microsoft has been progressively increasing the security measures in Windows, and disabling insecure guest logins is one of those steps. Insecure guest logins can pose a significant security risk because they allow access to network shares without requiring a username or password. This change aligns with the security enhancements seen in Windows Enterprise editions.

After updating to Windows 11 24H2, you found that connecting to network shares without requiring a login (everyone access, password protected sharing turned off) no longer works. Shares with a password and those configured in group policy to allow insecure guest logins function correctly.

Steps to Address the Issue:

1. Enable Insecure Guest Logins via Group Policy:

– Press **Win + R**, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.

– Navigate to **Computer Configuration** **Administrative Templates** **Network** **Lanman Workstation**.

– Double-click **Enable insecure guest logons** and set it to **Enabled**.

– Apply the changes and restart your computer.

2. Enable Insecure Guest Logins via Registry Editor:

– Press **Win + R**, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.

– Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE//SYSTEM//CurrentControlSet//Services//LanmanWorkstation//Parameters.

– If the AllowInsecureGuestAuth entry does not exist, right-click and select **New** *DWORD (32-bit) Value**, and name it AllowInsecureGuestAuth.

– Set the value of AllowInsecureGuestAuth to 1.

– Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

3. Consider Alternative Security Measures:

– Instead of enabling insecure guest logins, consider setting up password-protected sharing for better security.

– Ensure that all users have appropriate permissions to access the necessary shares.

#deerick #microsoft #windows11

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