User Account Control must automatically deny elevation requests for standard users.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-14236	WN08-SO-000079	SV-48174r3_rule		Medium

Description
User Account Control (UAC) is a security mechanism for limiting the elevation of privileges, including administrative accounts, unless authorized. Denying elevation requests from standard user accounts requires tasks that need elevation to be initiated by accounts with administrative privileges. This prevents privileged account credentials from being cached with standard user profile information to help mitigate credential theft.

Description

User Account Control (UAC) is a security mechanism for limiting the elevation of privileges, including administrative accounts, unless authorized. Denying elevation requests from standard user accounts requires tasks that need elevation to be initiated by accounts with administrative privileges. This prevents privileged account credentials from being cached with standard user profile information to help mitigate credential theft.

STIG	Date
Windows 8 / 8.1 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2016-12-19

Details

Check Text ( C-72727r2_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: Behavior of the elevation prompt for standard users" is not set to "Automatically deny elevation requests", 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: ConsentPromptBehaviorUser Value Type: REG_DWORD Value: 0x00000000 (0)

Check Text ( C-72727r2_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: Behavior of the elevation prompt for standard users" is not set to "Automatically deny elevation requests", 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: ConsentPromptBehaviorUser

Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 0x00000000 (0)

Fix Text (F-78891r1_fix)
Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Local Policies >> Security Options >> "User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for standard users" to "Automatically deny elevation requests".