18.10.91.2 (L2) Ensure 'Allow mapping folders into Windows Sandbox' is set to 'Disabled'

Information

This policy setting controls whether folders are allowed to be mapped into Windows Sandbox.

The recommended state for this setting is: Disabled

Note: The Windows Sandbox feature was first introduced in Windows 10 R1903, and allows a temporary 'clean install' virtual instance of Windows to be run inside the host, for the ostensible purpose of testing applications without making changes to the host.

Disabling the ability to map folders from the host to the sandbox decreases the attack surface exposed by the Windows Sandbox and exposure of untrusted application and files to the internal network.

Solution

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

Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Sandbox\Allow mapping folders into Windows Sandbox

Note: This Group Policy path is provided by the Group Policy template WindowsSandbox.admx/adml that is included with the Microsoft Windows 11 Release 24H2 Administrative Templates (or newer).

Impact:

Mapped folder access into the Windows Sandbox will be disabled. Therefore, applications and files in the Sandbox will not be accessible to the host system.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/21318

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-6, 800-53|CM-7

Plugin: Windows

Control ID: 8bff844aca59babb74a2ccbefb33995647190003200641c3c9d11c47f3e1a16a