Title

System pagefile is cleared upon shutdown. (Cat III impact)

Discussion

This check verifies that Windows is not configured to wipe clean the system page file during a controlled system shutdown.

Check Content

Analyze the system using the Security Configuration and Analysis snap-in. Expand the Security Configuration and Analysis tree view. Navigate to Local Policies -> Security Options. If the value for “Shutdown: Clear virtual memory pagefile” is not set to “Disabled”, then this is a finding. The policy referenced configures the following registry value: Registry Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Registry Path: \System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\ Value Name: ClearPageFileAtShutdown Value Type: REG_DWORD Value: 0

Fix Text

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options -> “Shutdown: Clear virtual memory pagefile” to “Disabled”.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-1084r1_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-1084

Group Title: Clear System Pagefile

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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