It's been a while since I used a windows machine that wasn't connected to a domain / managed by a IT dept... But isn't windows file sharing enabled by default o

It's been a while since I used a windows machine that wasn't connected to a domain / managed by a IT dept... But isn't windows file sharing enabled by default on home editions? And from memory, no authentication is required to interact with the service - it's only after you connect, obtain a list of shares, and attempt to open a share that authentication becomes required - leaving plenty of room for bugs to be exploited. At the end of the day, opening ports, any ports, is "dangerous".. A stateful firewall prevents much of the danger introduced by ports opened via NAT.