SV-35937r2: Unauthorized accounts must not have the Create symbolic links user right. | Windows 7 Security Technical Implementation Guide

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

Unauthorized accounts must not have the Create symbolic links user right.

Description

Discussion Text

Inappropriate granting of user rights can provide system, administrative, and other high-level capabilities. Accounts with the "Create symbolic links" user right can create pointers to other objects, which could potentially expose the system to attack.

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

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-002235CCE-8460-8

Additional Details

Responsibility

System Administrator

References

DPMS Target Windows 7 DISA DPMS Target Windows 7 1712

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:4408
# Unauthorized accounts must not have the Create symbolic links user right.
# Per-module read mechanism curated from static teardown of DISA's SCC tool
# (SCAP Compliance Checker) -- see the SCC Automation Reference above.

# Create symbolic links - Administrators
# accesstoken_object (accesstoken_test)
function test_1 {
  return (($__tmp = "$env:TEMP\scc_userrights_$([guid]::NewGuid().Guid).cfg"; secedit /export /cfg $__tmp /areas USER_RIGHTS /quiet | Out-Null; $__m = Select-String -Path $__tmp -Pattern '^SeCreateSymbolicLinkPrivilege\s*=\s*(.+)$'; Remove-Item $__tmp -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue; if ($__m -and $__m.Matches[0].Groups[1].Value.Trim().Length -gt 0) { '1' } else { '0' }) -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 windows_7 target this check assesses.

# OVAL Definition: oval:mil.disa.fso.windows:def:4408
powershell
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_AccountRights -Filter "Name='Create symbolic links'" | ForEach-Object {
    if ($_.Name -eq 'Create symbolic links' -and $_.Members -notcontains 'Everyone' -and $_.Members -notcontains 'Guest' -and $_.Members -notcontains 'Users' -and $_.Members -notcontains 'Authenticated Users' -and $_.Members -notcontains 'IIS_IUSRS' -and $_.Members -notcontains 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM') {
        Write-Output "PASS"
        Exit 0
    }
}
Write-Output "FAIL"
Exit 1

Remediation

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Local Policies >> User Rights Assignment >> "Create symbolic links" to only include the following accounts or groups:

				Administrators