18.4.11 Ensure 'MSS: (TcpMaxDataRetransmissions) How many times unacknowledged data is retransmitted' is set to 'Enabled: 3'

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Information

This setting controls the number of times that TCP retransmits an individual data segment (non-connect segment) before the connection is aborted. The retransmission time-out is doubled with each successive retransmission on a connection. It is reset when responses resume. The base time-out value is dynamically determined by the measured round-trip time on the connection.

The recommended state for this setting is: Enabled: 3.

Rationale:

A malicious user could exhaust a target computer's resources if it never sent any acknowledgment messages for data that was transmitted by the target computer.

Impact:

TCP starts a retransmission timer when each outbound segment is passed to the IP. If no acknowledgment is received for the data in a given segment before the timer expires, then the segment is retransmitted up to three times.

Solution

To establish the recommended configuration via GP, set the following UI path to Enabled: 3:

Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\MSS (Legacy)\MSS:(TcpMaxDataRetransmissions) How many times unacknowledged data is retransmitted

Note: This Group Policy path does not exist by default. An additional Group Policy template (MSS-legacy.admx/adml) is required - it is available from this TechNet blog post: The MSS settings - Microsoft Security Guidance blog

Default Value:

5 times.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/3784