I noticed a new network location in Windows File Explorer with my brother's name. When I opened it, I could see a folder containing personal adult files, so I disconnected the network location immediately. I'm concerned that my own private files—such as password-protected documents and personal projects—might also be visible to other devices on our home network. Windows shows my drives and folders as not shared, and I've disabled Network discovery and File and printer sharing in Advanced sharing settings. When I later tried opening my brother's folder by entering its network path manually, Windows asked for a username and password. Does that indicate he changed the sharing permissions, or could disconnecting the network location or changing my own settings have caused that? Also, is there anything else I should check to make sure my files are protected?
2 Answers
It was probably a shared folder or mapped network location on his computer. The password prompt usually means the share is still present but now requires his Windows credentials, which could happen if he disabled sharing, changed permissions, signed out, or altered password-protected sharing. Disconnecting it from your computer only removes your shortcut or connection; it normally does not change his settings.
Check both sharing and security permissions on your own folders. A folder generally has to be shared through Windows networking before another device can access it, and the person still needs appropriate permissions. However, being the administrator does not automatically make every folder inaccessible over the network. Keep Network discovery and File and printer sharing disabled if you do not need them, review the Advanced sharing settings, use a strong Windows password, and avoid sharing entire drives.
For especially sensitive files, encryption adds another layer of protection. Device Encryption or BitLocker can protect the contents if someone accesses the drive directly, while encrypted archives or an encrypted virtual drive can protect selected files. Encryption does not replace correct sharing permissions, but it helps if the storage device or computer is compromised.
So the login prompt by itself doesn’t prove that I changed anything on his computer? I mainly wanted to make sure disconnecting it didn’t modify his permissions.