5.1.4.6 (L2) Ensure users are restricted from recovering BitLocker keys

Warning! Audit Deprecated

This audit has been deprecated and will be removed in a future update.

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Information

This setting determines if users can self-service recover their BitLocker key(s). 'Yes' restricts non-admin users from being able to see the BitLocker key(s) for their owned devices if there are any. 'No' allows all users to recover their BitLocker key(s).

The recommended state is Yes.

Restricting user access to the self-service BitLocker recovery key portal helps mitigate the risk of recovery key exposure in the event of a compromised user account. If an attacker gains access to both the user's credentials and the physical device, they could potentially retrieve the recovery key and decrypt sensitive data. The recovery key itself is also considered sensitive information.

Solution

To remediate using the UI:

- Navigate to Microsoft Entra admin center https://entra.microsoft.com/.
- Click to expand Entra ID > Devices select Device settings.
- Set Restrict users from recovering the BitLocker key(s) for their owned devices to Yes.

To remediate using PowerShell:

- Connect to Microsoft Graph using Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "Policy.ReadWrite.Authorization"
- Run the following:

$params = @{
defaultUserRolePermissions = @{
AllowedToReadBitlockerKeysForOwnedDevice = $false
}
}

Update-MgPolicyAuthorizationPolicy -BodyParameter $params

Impact:

Restricting this setting will increase administrative overhead and may introduce friction between end users and the helpdesk, as users will no longer be able to retrieve BitLocker recovery keys through the self-service portal. This portal was originally designed to streamline recovery and reduce support burden. During the CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor outage in July 2024, many endpoints entered recovery mode, and delays in accessing recovery keys contributed to prolonged downtime. Limiting self-service access could exacerbate such delays in future incidents, especially in large or distributed environments.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/22162