17.3.1 Ensure 'Audit PNP Activity' is set to include 'Success'

Information

This policy setting allows you to audit when plug and play detects an external device.

The recommended state for this setting is to include: Success.

Note: A Windows 10, Server 2016 or newer OS is required to access and set this value in Group Policy.

Rationale:

Enabling this setting will allow a user to audit events when a device is plugged into a system. This can help alert IT staff if unapproved devices are plugged in.

Impact:

If no audit settings are configured, or if audit settings are too lax on the computers in your organization, security incidents might not be detected or not enough evidence will be available for network forensic analysis after security incidents occur. However, if audit settings are too severe, critically important entries in the Security log may be obscured by all of the meaningless entries and computer performance and the available amount of data storage may be seriously affected. Companies that operate in certain regulated industries may have legal obligations to log certain events or activities.

Solution

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

Computer Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Advanced Audit Policy Configuration\Audit Policies\Detailed Tracking\Audit PNP Activity

Default Value:

No Auditing.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/3340