SV-278043r1180835: Windows Server 2025 permissions for the Application event log must prevent access by nonprivileged accounts. | Microsoft Windows Server 2025 STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

Windows Server 2025 permissions for the Application event log must prevent access by nonprivileged accounts.

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. The Application event log may be susceptible to tampering if proper permissions are not applied. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000057-GPOS-00027, SRG-OS-000058-GPOS-00028, SRG-OS-000059-GPOS-00029

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

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-000162Not mappedCCI-000163Not mappedCCI-000164

References

DPMS Target Microsoft Windows Server 2025 DISA DPMS Target Microsoft Windows Server 2025 5719

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.windows2025:def:278043
# Windows Server 2025 permissions for the Application event log must prevent access by nonprivileged accounts.
# Per-module read mechanism curated from static teardown of DISA's SCC tool
# (SCAP Compliance Checker) -- see the SCC Automation Reference above.
#
# MANUAL REVIEW REQUIRED -- the module(s) below could not be reconstructed
# into working code from curated SCC reference data, and are excluded from
# the automated result:
#   - fileeffectiverights53_object (fileeffectiverights53_test) -- The Application event log must have at least default permissions. Strict Path: no curated SCC reference for fileeffectiverights53_object
#   - fileeffectiverights53_object (fileeffectiverights53_test) -- The Application event log must have at least default permissions. Built Path: no curated SCC reference for fileeffectiverights53_object

# The Application event log registry specified location must have the %SystemRoot% environment variable.
# registry_object (registry_test)
function test_2 {
  return (((Get-ItemProperty -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\Application' -Name 'file' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) | Select-Object -ExpandProperty 'file') -match '^(?i)%SystemRoot%.*$')
}
# The Application event log registry specified location must have the %SystemRoot% environment variable.
# registry_object (registry_test)
function test_4 {
  return (((Get-ItemProperty -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\Application' -Name 'file' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) | Select-Object -ExpandProperty 'file') -match '^(?i)%SystemRoot%.*$')
}

if ((test_2 -or test_4)) {
  Write-Output "PASS (automated portion only -- MANUAL REVIEW still required, see notes above)"
} else {
  Write-Output "FAIL (or see MANUAL REVIEW note above)"
}

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_server_2025 target this check assesses.

# OVAL Definition: oval:mil.disa.stig.windows2025:def:278043
$logPath = "$env:SystemRoot\System32\winevt\Logs\Application.evtx"
$regPath = "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\Application\file"
if (!(Test-Path $logPath -PathType Leaf) -and!(Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Registry -Filter "Name='SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Services\\EventLog\\Application'").StringValueOfKey("file", "location") -like "*%SystemRoot%*") {exit 1}
$acl = Get-Acl $logPath | Format-List -Property Access | Select-Object -Expand Access -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($acl -notmatch "Eventlog:(ALLOW|DENY)\sFullControl" -or $acl -notmatch "SYSTEM:(ALLOW|DENY)\sFullControl" -or $acl -notmatch "Administrators:(ALLOW|DENY)\sFullControl") {exit 1}
exit 0

Remediation

Configure the permissions on the Application event log file (Application.evtx) to prevent access by nonprivileged accounts. The default permissions listed below satisfy this requirement:

Eventlog - Full Control
SYSTEM - Full Control
Administrators - Full Control

The default location is the "%SystemRoot%\System32\winevt\Logs" folder.

If the location of the logs has been changed, when adding Eventlog to the permissions, it must be entered as "NT Service\Eventlog".