Don't use Google Desktop Search on a shared PC!

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Don't use Google Desktop Search on a shared PC!

Google Desktop Searching Tool is really great, works good and indexes perfectly all your files, contacts and emails on your PC with a quick retrieval engine.

There's only a problem that I've personally experienced on a machine at work... if used on a shared PC (used by many people, with different accounts), Google Desktop Search retrieves files and emails bypassing the accounts settings. What is the result? you can read all files and (expecially) the emails by other users of the machine. Not too good I think!

Google Desktop Search is not intended to be used on a shared pc, so be careful...

A little advice to Google... for the next Beta version, maybe you can start thinking to integrate Google Desktop Search with the OS users account (authentication to start using the tool).

Print | posted on Saturday, October 16, 2004 8:35 AM

Comments on this post

# re: Don't use Google Desktop Search on a shared PC!

How is that possible? Google Desktop Search runs with the same privileges as the user who runs is, so if the programme can read other people's mail on the machine so can you. Don't tell me Google completely hacked the NTFS security. Or could you be using FAT32...

Left by Ajunne on Oct 16, 2004 7:21 AM

# re: Don't use Google Desktop Search on a shared PC!

(I have not tested it, so it could be that the rest of my post can be ignored

)

Maybe it stores an index file somewhere, and if user 1 logs on, it indexes all files user1 can access. When user2 logs on, it uses the same instance of google desktop, which then indexes the files user2 has access to, but in the same index file.

If user1 now searches something, it will also get results from files that were indexed by user2

Just a guess

Left by David Cumps on Oct 16, 2004 7:32 AM

# re: Don't use Google Desktop Search on a shared PC!

Google Desktop Search stores data in the c:\documents and settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Google Desktop Search directory, so it's at user level. I think that the problem could appear when you install google desktop as administrator of the entire machine.... you index the whole hard drive, this index is available to all users and the cache allows for unprotected vieweing of the contents of the files.
However, what I don't know now is if the machines was NTFS of FAT32...

Left by Stefano Demiliani on Oct 16, 2004 9:10 AM

# re: Don't use Google Desktop Search on a shared PC!

Hmmm, true, but do other users use the cache created by the admin, or the cache in their application data? If it's the latter on it's no problem

Left by David Cumps on Oct 16, 2004 9:31 AM

# re: Don't use Google Desktop Search on a shared PC!

Apparently, it's not made for multi-user PC's yet. Quote from http://insidegoogle.blogspot.com/2004/10/digital-life-how-google-desktop-works.html :

Also, "for now Desktop is only for one user on the computer... the other person can't install it". If you use multiple usernames, only one can install and access the data while the others are plum out of luck. Obviously, they are working on fixing this as soon as possible. That's why it's beta, folks!

Left by Ajunne on Oct 16, 2004 12:45 PM

# re: Don't use Google Desktop Search on a shared PC!

ofcourse its ntfs... d0h

Left by Frigo on Oct 17, 2004 2:49 AM

# Google and privacy... again

Google and privacy... again

Left by Stefano Demiliani WeBlog on Oct 21, 2004 7:23 AM

# re: Don't use Google Desktop Search on a shared PC!

another bad thing is that it also indexes the cache which really threatens privacy on multiple users PC

Left by sirish on Dec 15, 2004 3:19 AM

# re: Don't use Google Desktop Search on a shared PC!

I think what's more unsettling is that it not only does it index your cache but the index persists even if you delete your cache! This effectively creates an alternative cache, which of course nullifies the objective of deleting the cache. I realized this just now when I did a desktop search. GDS returned a bunch of Web entries that were once (but no longer) in my cache. I was surprised and disturbed to see them returned by GDS.

Left by Gerard Joseph on Dec 25, 2004 8:26 PM

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