Detections
Analytics

18.10.43.12.1 (L2) Ensure 'Configure Watson events' is set to 'Disabled'

Warning! Audit Deprecated

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

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Information

This policy setting allows you to configure whether or not Watson events are sent.

The recommended state for this setting is: Disabled.

Watson events are the reports that get sent to Microsoft when a program or service crashes or fails, including the possibility of automatic submission. Preventing this information from being sent can help reduce privacy concerns.

Solution

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

 Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Microsoft Defender Antivirus\Reporting\Configure Watson events

 Note: This Group Policy path may not exist by default. It is provided by the Group Policy template WindowsDefender.admx/adml that is included with the Microsoft Windows 8.1 & Server 2012 R2 Administrative Templates (or newer).

Impact:

Watson events will not be sent to Microsoft automatically when a program or service crashes or fails.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/22481

Item Details

References: CSCv7|13.3

Plugin: Windows

Control ID: 6ce21d1fae5a9f64b12019165a88e692c2fef1d65280d4bc8c0a384e204ae32a