SV-235724r960963: Background processing must be disabled. | Microsoft Edge STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

Background processing must be disabled.

Description

Discussion Text

Background processing allows Microsoft Edge processes to start at OS sign-in and keep running after the last browser window is closed. In this scenario, background apps and the current browsing session remain active, including any session cookies. An open background process displays an icon in the system tray, and can be closed from there. If this policy is enabled, background mode is turned on. If this policy is disabled, background mode is turned off. If this policy is not configured, background mode is initially turned off, and the user can configure its behavior in edge://settings/system.

How this relates to the STIG checklist: STIG vs SCAP benchmark.

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-000381

References

DPMS Target Microsoft Edge DISA DPMS Target Microsoft Edge 5280

Checks

DISA STIG (Manual Reference)

The policy value for "Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Microsoft Edge/Continue running background apps after Microsoft Edge closes" must be set to "Disabled".

Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge

If the value for "BackgroundModeEnabled" is not set to "REG_DWORD = 0", this is a finding.

SCC Automation Reference

The reconstructed evaluation script behind this rule's OVAL check(s) — every module a compound check combines, with this rule's own concrete values and DISA's SCC tool's real per-module mechanism curated from static teardown of SCC releases.

# Windows PowerShell
# Reconstructed from oval:mil.disa.stig.edge:def:103
# Background processing must be disabled.
# Per-module read mechanism curated from static teardown of DISA's SCC tool
# (SCAP Compliance Checker) -- see the SCC Automation Reference above.

# Check that the setting 'Continue running background apps after Microsoft Edge closes' is enabled.
# registry_object (registry_test)
function test_1 {
  return (((@{String='reg_sz';ExpandString='reg_expand_sz';Binary='reg_binary';DWord='reg_dword';MultiString='reg_multi_sz';QWord='reg_qword';None='reg_none'}[(Get-Item -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge').GetValueKind('BackgroundModeEnabled').ToString()]) -eq 'reg_dword') -and (((Get-ItemProperty -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge' -Name 'BackgroundModeEnabled' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) | Select-Object -ExpandProperty 'BackgroundModeEnabled') -eq 0))
}

if (test_1) {
  Write-Output "PASS"
} else {
  Write-Output "FAIL"
}

Assessment Script Powered by AISyntax-verified

A standalone PowerShell script to assess this control automatically. Review before running it in your environment.

Syntax-checked as valid PowerShell. Not executed here — running it for real needs the actual ms_edge target this check assesses.

# OVAL Definition: oval:mil.disa.stig.edge:def:103
$compliant = Test-Path -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\BackgroundModeEnabled" -and (Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\BackgroundModeEnabled" -Name "BackgroundModeEnabled" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).BackgroundModeEnabled -eq 0
if ($compliant) { Write-Output "PASS"; exit 0 } else { Write-Output "FAIL"; exit 1 }

Remediation

Set the policy value for "Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Microsoft Edge/Continue running background apps after Microsoft Edge closes" to "Disabled".