SV-253396r958928: Explorer Data Execution Prevention must be enabled. | Microsoft Windows 11 STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

Explorer Data Execution Prevention must be enabled.

Description

Discussion Text

Data Execution Prevention (DEP) provides additional protection by performing checks on memory to help prevent malicious code from running. This setting will prevent Data Execution Prevention from being turned off for File Explorer.

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

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-002824

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:253396
# Explorer Data Execution Prevention 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 'Turn off Data Execution Prevention for Explorer' is set to 'Disabled' or 'Not Configured'
# 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\Explorer').GetValueKind('NoDataExecutionPrevention').ToString()]) -eq 'reg_dword') -and (((Get-ItemProperty -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer' -Name 'NoDataExecutionPrevention' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) | Select-Object -ExpandProperty 'NoDataExecutionPrevention') -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_windows_11 target this check assesses.

# OVAL Definition: oval:mil.disa.stig.windows11:def:253396
$regPath = "HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer"
$regName = "NoDataExecutionPrevention"
$regValue = 0
if (Test-Path $regPath -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
    $regData = Get-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name $regName -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($regData -and $regData.$regName -eq $regValue) {
        exit 0
    }
}
exit 1

Remediation

The default behavior is for data execution prevention to be turned on for file explorer.

To correct this, configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Windows Components >> File Explorer >> "Turn off Data Execution Prevention for Explorer" to "Not Configured" or "Disabled".