SV-225347r852205: Windows must be prevented from using Windows Update to search for drivers. | Microsoft Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 Member Server STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

Windows must be prevented from using Windows Update to search for drivers.

Description

Discussion Text

Some features may communicate with the vendor, sending system information or downloading data or components for the feature. Turning off this capability will prevent potentially sensitive information from being sent outside the enterprise and uncontrolled updates to the system. This setting prevents Windows from searching Windows Update for device drivers when no local drivers for a device are present.

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

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-001812CCE-24071-3SV-53000V-14261

References

DPMS Target Microsoft Windows Server 2012-2012 R2 MS DISA DPMS Target Microsoft Windows Server 2012-2012 R2 MS 4214

Checks

OVAL

oval:mil.disa.fso.windows:var:447000 ← xccdf_mil.disa.stig_value_turn_off_windows_update_device_driver_searching_var

DISA STIG (Manual Reference)

If the following registry value does not exist or is not configured as specified, this is a finding:

Registry Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Registry Path: \Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DriverSearching\

Value Name: DontSearchWindowsUpdate

Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1

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.fso.windows:def:4470
# Windows must be prevented from using Windows Update to search for drivers.
# 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 Windows Update device driver searching' 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\DriverSearching').GetValueKind('DontSearchWindowsUpdate').ToString()]) -eq 'reg_dword') -and (((Get-ItemProperty -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DriverSearching' -Name 'DontSearchWindowsUpdate' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) | Select-Object -ExpandProperty 'DontSearchWindowsUpdate') -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_2012_and_2012_r2_ms target this check assesses.

# oval:mil.disa.fso.windows:def:4470
$compliant = Test-Path -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DriverSearching" -and (Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DriverSearching" -Name DontSearchWindowsUpdate -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).DontSearchWindowsUpdate -eq 1
if ($compliant) { Write-Output "PASS"; Exit 0 } else { Write-Output "FAIL"; Exit 1 }

Remediation

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Internet Communication Management -> Internet Communication settings -> "Turn off Windows Update device driver searching" to "Enabled".