1.6.1.2 Ensure 'Configure Attack Surface Reduction rules: Set the state for each ASR rule' is set to '56a863a9-875e-4185-98a7-b882c64b5ce5:1'

Information

This rule prevents an application from writing a vulnerable signed driver to disk.

Rule ID and name:

- 56a863a9-875e-4185-98a7-b882c64b5ce5 (Block abuse of exploited vulnerable signed drivers)

The recommended state for this setting is: 56a863a9-875e-4185-98a7-b882c64b5ce5:1 (Block).

Note: More information on ASR rules can be found at the following link: Use Attack surface reduction rules to prevent malware infection | Microsoft Docs https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-exploit-guard/attack-surface-reduction-exploit-guard

Note #2: The Block abuse of exploited vulnerable signed drivers setting does not block a driver that already exists on the system from being loaded.

Attack surface reduction helps prevent actions and apps that are typically used by exploit-seeking malware to infect systems.

Vulnerable signed drivers can be exploited by local applications that have sufficient privileges to gain access to the kernel. This enables threat actors to disable or circumvent security solutions, eventually leading to system compromise.

Solution

To establish the recommended configuration via GP, set the following UI path to 56a863a9-875e-4185-98a7-b882c64b5ce5 with a value of 1 :

Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Microsoft Defender Antivirus\Microsoft Defender Exploit Guard\Attack Surface Reduction\Configure Attack Surface Reduction rules: Set the state for each ASR rule

Note: This Group Policy path is provided by the Group Policy template WindowsDefender.admx/adml that is included with the Microsoft Windows 10 Release 1709 Administrative Templates (or newer).

Impact:

When a rule is triggered, a notification will be displayed from the Action Center.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/25919

Item Details

Category: SYSTEM AND INFORMATION INTEGRITY

References: 800-53|SI-16, CSCv7|8.3

Plugin: Windows

Control ID: c135d19909bf06f253a0cf1f29aa30f2da3020f44f5854cdb48464338f1538d7