CIS Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise Release 1909 Benchmark

18.9.61.4 (L1) Ensure 'Allow Cortana above lock screen' is set to 'Disabled' (Scored)

ProfileApplicability:

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

Description:

This policy setting determines whether or not the user can interact with Cortana using speech while the system is locked.

The recommended state for this setting is: Disabled .

Rationale:

Access to any computer resource should not be allowed when the device is locked.

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:AllowCortanaAboveLock

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 above lock screen

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 Release 1607 & Server 2016 Administrative Templates (or newer).

Impact:

The system will need to be unlocked for the user to interact with Cortana using speech.

Default Value:

Enabled. (The user can interact with Cortana using speech while the system is locked.)

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