CIS Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise Release 1909 Benchmark

18.9.97.2 WinRMService

This section contains recommendations related to the Windows Remote Management (WinRM) service.

This Group Policy section is provided by the Group Policy template WindowsRemoteManagement.admx/adml that is included with all versions of the Microsoft Windows Administrative Templates. 18.9.97.2.1 (L1) Ensure 'Allow Basic authentication' is set to 'Disabled' (Scored)

ProfileApplicability:

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

Description:

This policy setting allows you to manage whether the Windows Remote Management (WinRM) service accepts Basic authentication from a remote client.

The recommended state for this setting is: Disabled .

Rationale:

Basic authentication is less robust than other authentication methods available in WinRM because credentials including passwords are transmitted in plain text. An attacker who is able to capture packets on the network where WinRM is running may be able to determine the credentials used for accessing remote hosts via WinRM.

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\WinRM\Service:AllowBas ic

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