
SAM is part of the registry and can be found in the C Drive on the hard disk. Can a user access the Security Accounts Manager? In such a case, the user will not be asked to enter authentication data every time the computer is switched on or restarted. If the user does not care for such security, they can disable this function to access the system without inputting the password.

It can also provide some measure of security against online hackers. The primary purpose of the SAM in a PC environment is to make it difficult for a thief to access the data on a stolen machine. What is the purpose of the Security Accounts Manager? SAM files are locked so it can't be accessed when Windows loads. Security Accounts Manager stores hashed versions of local account passwords in Windows and manages login password validations. Once the system is accessed, the SAM file continues to run in the background. If the personal computer ( PC) is used by only one user, and the PC is not connected to LAN, the SAM will only store and ask for one user's password.

The user will be requested to enter the information again. On the other hand, if the username and passwords do not match any entry in the SAM, it will return an error message. This will ultimately result in granting the user access to the system. If the username and associated passwords match an entry in the SAM, a sequence of events will take place.

Once the password is entered, it will be verified against the password in the SAM. In simple terms, think of it as a locked diary with all a user's passwords.ĭuring a user's login attempt, the Windows system will ask for a username and password. These are also referred to as password hashes. For increasing security, both of these are encrypted and cannot be accessed by any user. What does the Security Accounts Manager do?Įach user account can be assigned a local area network ( LAN) password and a Microsoft Windows password in the SAM.

The SAM is available in different versions of Windows, including Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and the Windows 11. The primary purpose of the SAM is to make the system more secure and protect from a data breach in case the system is stolen. The Security Accounts Manager (SAM) is a database file in the Microsoft Windows operating system ( OS) that contains usernames and passwords. What is the Security Accounts Manager (SAM)?
