Title

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) must enable Device discovery. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

Malicious code protection mechanisms include, but are not limited to, antivirus and malware detection software. To minimize potential negative impact to the organization that can be caused by malicious code, it is imperative that malicious code is identified and eradicated. This setting allows onboarded devices to discover unmanaged devices in the network and assess vulnerabilities and risks.

Check Content

Access the MDE portal as a user with at least an MDE Administrator or equivalent role: 1. In the navigation pane, select Settings >> Endpoints >> Advanced features (under General). 2. Verify the slide bar for "Device discovery" is set to "On". If the slide bar for "Device discovery" is not set to "On", this is a finding.

Fix Text

Access the MDE portal as a user with at least an MDE Administrator or equivalent role: 1. In the navigation pane, select Settings >> Endpoints >> Advanced features (under General). 2. Set the slide bar for "Device discovery" to "On".

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-275987r1119717_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-275987

Group Title: SRG-APP-000279

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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