SV-278931r1268225: Windows 11 must be configured to audit registry successes. | Microsoft Windows 11 STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

Windows 11 must be configured to audit registry successes.

Description

Discussion Text

Maintaining an audit trail of system activity logs can help identify configuration errors, troubleshoot service disruptions, and analyze compromises that have occurred, as well as detect attacks. Audit logs are necessary to provide a trail of evidence in case the system or network is compromised. Collecting this data is essential for analyzing the security of information assets and detecting signs of suspicious and unexpected behavior. Credential validation records events related to validation tests on credentials for a user account logon.

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

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-000172

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:278931
# Windows 11 must be configured to audit registry successes.
# Per-module read mechanism curated from static teardown of DISA's SCC tool
# (SCAP Compliance Checker) -- see the SCC Automation Reference above.

# Audit - Registry - Success only
# auditeventpolicysubcategories_object (auditeventpolicysubcategories_test)
function test_1 {
  return ((@{'No Auditing'='AUDIT_NONE';'Success'='AUDIT_SUCCESS';'Failure'='AUDIT_FAILURE';'Success and Failure'='AUDIT_SUCCESS_FAILURE'}[(auditpol /get /subcategory:'Registry' /r | ConvertFrom-Csv).'Inclusion Setting']) -eq 'AUDIT_SUCCESS')
}
# Audit - Registry - Success and Failure
# auditeventpolicysubcategories_object (auditeventpolicysubcategories_test)
function test_2 {
  return ((@{'No Auditing'='AUDIT_NONE';'Success'='AUDIT_SUCCESS';'Failure'='AUDIT_FAILURE';'Success and Failure'='AUDIT_SUCCESS_FAILURE'}[(auditpol /get /subcategory:'Registry' /r | ConvertFrom-Csv).'Inclusion Setting']) -eq 'AUDIT_SUCCESS_FAILURE')
}

if ((test_1 -or test_2)) {
  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:278931
powershell
$registryAuditPolicy = Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\PolEdit\Microsoft\Windows\AuditPolicy\SystemPolicy'
$registryAuditSuccess = $registryAuditPolicy.'Audit Registry Success'
if ($registryAuditSuccess -eq '1') {
    Write-Output "PASS"
    exit 0
} else {
    Write-Output "FAIL"
    exit 1
}

Remediation

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Advanced Audit Policy Configuration >> System Audit Policies >> Object Access >> "Audit Registry" with "Success" selected.