CIS Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise Release 1909 Benchmark

18.9.61.5 (L1) Ensure 'Allow indexing of encrypted files' is set to 'Disabled' (Scored)

ProfileApplicability:

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

Description:

This policy setting controls whether encrypted items are allowed to be indexed. When this setting is changed, the index is rebuilt completely. Full volume encryption (such as BitLocker Drive Encryption or a non-Microsoft solution) must be used for the location of the index to maintain security for encrypted files.

The recommended state for this setting is: Disabled .

Rationale:

Indexing and allowing users to search encrypted files could potentially reveal confidential data stored within the encrypted files.

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:AllowIndexingEncryptedStoresOrItems

Remediation:

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

Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Search\Allow indexing of encrypted files

Note: This Group Policy path is provided by the Group Policy template Search.admx/adml that is included with all versions of the Microsoft Windows Administrative Templates.

Impact:

None - this is the default behavior.

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