Title

Access to the Windows Store must be turned off. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

Uncontrolled installation of applications can introduce various issues, including system instability, and allow access to sensitive information. Installation of applications must be controlled by the enterprise. Turning off access to the Windows Store will limit access to publicly available applications.

Check Content

The Windows Store is not installed by default. If the \Windows\WinStore directory does not exist, this is NA. 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: \SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\ Value Name: NoUseStoreOpenWith Type: REG_DWORD Value: 1

Fix Text

If the \Windows\WinStore directory exists, configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> System >> Internet Communication Management >> Internet Communication settings >> "Turn off access to the Store" to "Enabled". Alternately, uninstall the "Desktop Experience" feature from Windows 2012. This is located under "User Interfaces and Infrastructure" in the "Add Roles and Features Wizard". The \Windows\WinStore directory may need to be manually deleted after this.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-225340r569185_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-225340

Group Title: SRG-OS-000095-GPOS-00049

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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