SV-253395r958478: The Microsoft Defender SmartScreen for Explorer must be enabled. | Microsoft Windows 11 STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

The Microsoft Defender SmartScreen for Explorer must be enabled.

Description

Discussion Text

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen helps protect systems from programs downloaded from the internet that may be malicious. Enabling Microsoft Defender SmartScreen will warn or prevent users from running potentially malicious programs.

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

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-000381

References

DPMS Target Microsoft Windows 11 DISA DPMS Target Microsoft Windows 11 5471

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.windows11:def:253395
# The Microsoft Defender SmartScreen for Explorer must be enabled.
# Per-module read mechanism curated from static teardown of DISA's SCC tool
# (SCAP Compliance Checker) -- see the SCC Automation Reference above.

# Verifies 'Configure Windows SmartScreen' is set to '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\Windows\System').GetValueKind('EnableSmartScreen').ToString()]) -eq 'reg_dword') -and (((Get-ItemProperty -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System' -Name 'EnableSmartScreen' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) | Select-Object -ExpandProperty 'EnableSmartScreen') -eq 1))
}

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_windows_11 target this check assesses.

# OVAL Definition: oval:mil.disa.stig.windows11:def:253395
if ((Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System' -Name EnableSmartScreen -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).EnableSmartScreen -eq 1) { Write-Output "PASS"; Exit 0 } else { Write-Output "FAIL"; Exit 1 }

Remediation

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Windows Components >> File Explorer >> "Configure Windows Defender SmartScreen" to "Enabled" with "Warn and prevent bypass" selected. 

Windows 11 includes duplicate policies for this setting. It can also be configured under Computer Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Windows Components >> Windows Defender SmartScreen >> Explorer.