SV-25076r1: This check verifies that Windows is configured to have password protection take effect within a limited time frame when the screen saver becomes active. | Windows 7 Security Technical Implementation Guide

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

This check verifies that Windows is configured to have password protection take effect within a limited time frame when the screen saver becomes active.

Description

Discussion Text

Allowing more than several seconds makes the computer vulnerable to a potential attack from someone walking up to the console to attempt to log onto the system before the lock takes effect.

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

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-000366CCE-8591-0

Additional Details

Third-Party Tools

Responsibility

System Administrator

References

DPMS Target Windows 7 DISA DPMS Target Windows 7 1712

Checks

OVAL

oval:mil.disa.fso.windows:var:374300 ← xccdf_mil.disa.stig_value_screen_saver_grace_period_var

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:3743
# This check verifies that Windows is configured to have password protection take effect within a limited time frame when the screen saver becomes active.
# Per-module read mechanism curated from static teardown of DISA's SCC tool
# (SCAP Compliance Checker) -- see the SCC Automation Reference above.

# Verifies 'MSS: (ScreenSaverGracePeriod) The time in seconds before the screen saver grace period expires (0 recommended)' is set to 5 or less
# 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\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon').GetValueKind('ScreenSaverGracePeriod').ToString()]) -eq 'reg_sz') -and (((Get-ItemProperty -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon' -Name 'ScreenSaverGracePeriod' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) | Select-Object -ExpandProperty 'ScreenSaverGracePeriod') -le 5))
}

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 windows_7 target this check assesses.

# This script implements oval:mil.disa.fso.windows:def:3743
$compliant = (Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon' -Name 'ScreenSaverGracePeriod' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) -and ([int]$($compliant.ScreenSaverGracePeriod) -le 5)
if ($compliant) { Write-Output "PASS"; exit 0 } else { Write-Output "FAIL"; exit 1 }

Remediation

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options -> “MSS: (ScreenSaverGracePeriod) The time in seconds before the screen saver grace period expires (0 recommended)” to “5” or less.