Configuring Worker Process Identities

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1

In previous versions of IIS, the worker processes ran as the LocalSystem account. Because the LocalSystem account has access to almost all resources on the operating system, this had serious security implications. IISĀ 6.0 offers better security in that the worker process runs under the new built-in Network Service account by default. IISĀ 6.0 also allows you to configure which account worker processes run as. You have the option of using one of the three predefined accounts, or creating your own account.

This section includes the following information: