User Account Control must switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-14241	WN08-SO-000084	SV-48200r2_rule	ECCD-1 ECCD-2	Medium

Description
User Account Control (UAC) is a security mechanism for limiting the elevation of privileges, including administrative accounts, unless authorized. This setting ensures that the elevation prompt is only used in secure desktop mode.

STIG	Date
Windows 8 / 8.1 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2015-06-16

Details

Check Text ( C-44879r1_chk )
Analyze the system using the Security Configuration and Analysis snap-in. (See "Performing Analysis with the Security Configuration and Analysis Snap-in" in the STIG Overview document.) Expand the Security Configuration and Analysis tree view. Navigate to Local Policies -> Security Options. If the value for "User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation" is not set to "Enabled", this is a finding. The policy referenced configures the following registry value: Registry Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Registry Path: \Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\ Value Name: PromptOnSecureDesktop Value Type: REG_DWORD Value: 1

Check Text ( C-44879r1_chk )

Analyze the system using the Security Configuration and Analysis snap-in. (See "Performing Analysis with the Security Configuration and Analysis Snap-in" in the STIG Overview document.)
Expand the Security Configuration and Analysis tree view.
Navigate to Local Policies -> Security Options.

If the value for "User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation" is not set to "Enabled", this is a finding.

The policy referenced configures the following registry value:

Registry Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Registry Path: \Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\

Value Name: PromptOnSecureDesktop

Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1

Fix Text (F-41336r1_fix)
Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options -> "User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation" to "Enabled".