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Check: WN11-SO-000110

Microsoft Windows 11 STIG: WN11-SO-000110 (in versions v2 r2 through v1 r1)

Title

Unencrypted passwords must not be sent to third-party SMB Servers. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

Some non-Microsoft SMB servers only support unencrypted (plain text) password authentication. Sending plain text passwords across the network, when authenticating to an SMB server, reduces the overall security of the environment. Check with the vendor of the SMB server to see if there is a way to support encrypted password authentication.

Check Content

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: \SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters\ Value Name: EnablePlainTextPassword Value Type: REG_DWORD Value: 0

Fix Text

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Local Policies >> Security Options >> "Microsoft network client: Send unencrypted password to third-party SMB servers" to "Disabled".

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-253450r987796_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-253450

Group Title: SRG-OS-000074-GPOS-00042

Expert Comments

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CCIs

CCIs tied to check.

Number	Definition
CCI-000197	For password-based authentication, transmit passwords only over cryptographically-protected channels.

Controls

Controls tied to check. These are derived from the CCIs shown above.

Number	Title
IA-5(1)	Password-based Authentication