Patent ID: 7673139

Claim:
A computer implemented method of protecting a computer system, comprising: configuring a safe admin account in the computer system with a first set of privileges that are administrative privileges not available to a user account; profiling usage of the safe admin account for a prescribed period of time; identifying an exercised set of privileges that were exercised during the prescribed period of time; determining a second set of privileges based at least in part on the identified exercised set of privileges, the second set of privileges being a subset of the first set of privileges; configuring a restricted admin account in the computer system with the second set of privileges; determining automatically that a configured time to enter a restricted state has arrived; restricting the safe admin account automatically based at least in part on said determination that the configured time has arrived; determining automatically that a configured period associated with the configured time has ended; and removing the restriction on the safe admin account based at least in part on the determination that the configured period has ended.