Enable, Disable Secure Logon in

Windows 8
RECOMMENDED: Click here to fix Windows errors and improve system
performance

One way of adding an additional layer of security to your Windows computer is by

enabling secure logon. By enabling secure logon, users are required to press
Ctrl+Alt+Del before they can enter their credentials and log on.

Secure logon – Ctrl+Alt+Del

Secure logon offers a keystroke sequence that cannot be intercepted by any
application. When secure logon is enabled, no other malicious program can intercept
your user name and password as you enter it. (NOTE: Please read comment below).

Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del ensures that the authentic Windows logon screen appears. To
enable secure logon, open Run, type Control Userpasswords2 or netplwiz and hit
Enter to open the User Accounts Properties box.
Open the Advanced tab, and in the Secure logon section, click to clear the Require
users to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete check box if you want to disable the
CTRL+ALT+DELETE sequence. Click Apply/OK > Exit.

Now the next time to logon you will see your Windows 8 lock screen with the following
display in the top-left corner.

Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del will allow you to enter your Windows logon password.

Disable CTRL+ALT+DELETE using Group Policy

If you wish, you can also enforce this policy, using the Local Security Policy. To do
so, Run secpol.msc and hit Enter.
In the left pane, select Local Policies > Security Options. Now in the right pane, double
click on Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL.

This security setting determines whether pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL is required before

a user can log on. If this policy is enabled on a computer, a user is not required to press
CTRL+ALT+DEL to log on. Not having to press CTRL+ALT+DEL leaves users
susceptible to attacks that attempt to intercept the users’ passwords. Requiring
CTRL+ALT+DEL before users log on ensures that users are communicating by means
of a trusted path when entering their passwords. If this policy is disabled, any user is
required to press CTRL+ALT+DEL before logging on to Windows.

Enable or Disable the policy as per your requirement, click Apply/OK and Exit.

By default the policy is enabled on Windows 8 domain-computers, and disabled on

Windows 7 or earlier. The policy is enabled by default on stand-alone computers.

Disable Secure Logon using Registry

Open Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

In the right pane, right-click on DisableCAD and click on Modify.

  To Disable Secure Logon, type 1.
 To Enable Secure Logon, type 0.

Microsoft has also released a Fix It that lets you easily enable or disable the
Ctrl+Alt+Del sequence for logging. More on that here at this post titles enable or
disable CTRL+ALT+DELETE requirement for logon.