Unencrypted passwords must not be sent to a third-party SMB server.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
WN12-SO-000030	WN12-SO-000030	WN12-SO-000030_rule		Medium

Description
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.

STIG	Date
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Domain Controller Security Technical Implementation Guide	2013-07-25

Details

Check Text ( C-WN12-SO-000030_chk )
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 (F-WN12-SO-000030_fix)
Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options -> "Microsoft network client: Send unencrypted password to connect to third-party SMB servers" to "Disabled".