CIS Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise Release 1909 Benchmark

18.9.61.3 (L1) Ensure 'Allow Cortana' is set to 'Disabled' (Scored)

ProfileApplicability:

 Level 1 (L1) - Corporate/Enterprise Environment (general use)

Description:

This policy setting specifies whether Cortana is allowed on the device.

The recommended state for this setting is: Disabled .

Rationale:

If Cortana is enabled, sensitive information could be contained in search history and sent out to Microsoft.

Audit:

Navigate to the UI Path articulated in the Remediation section and confirm it is set as prescribed. This group policy setting is backed by the following registry location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search:AllowCortana

Remediation:

To establish the recommended configuration via GP, set the following UI path to Disabled :

Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Search\Allow Cortana

Note: This Group Policy path may not exist by default. It is provided by the Group Policy template Search.admx/adml that is included with the Microsoft Windows 10 RTM (Release 1507) Administrative Templates (or newer).

Impact:

Cortana will be turned off. Users will still be able to use search to find things on the device and on the Internet.

Default Value:

Enabled. (Cortana will be allowed on the device.)

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