1.22 Ensure 'Wi-Fi assistant' is set to 'Disabled'

Information

Disable automatically connecting your device to open Wi-Fi.
The recommended state for this setting is: Disabled.

Rationale:

Wi-Fi assistant automatically connects to any open Wi-Fi and tunnel the connection through Google VPN servers. Even with the level of security included when this setting is enabled, it is recommended that users only connect to trusted networks manually and to leave this setting disabled.

NOTE: Nessus has not performed this check. Please review the benchmark to ensure target compliance.

Solution

Follow the below steps to disable Wi-Fi assistant:

Tap Settings Gear Icon.
Tap Google.
Scroll to the Services section.
Tap Networking.
Toggle Wi-Fi assistant to OFF position.

Impact:

You would not benefit from open Wi-fi connections and would require using cellular data.

Default Value:

By default, Wi-Fi assistant setting is enabled.
Note: on the Verizon Variant this setting is disabled. Also, this feature is available only on Pixel phones and Nexus devices running Android 5.1 and up in the selected countries.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/2466

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-7b., CSCv6|15.4

Plugin: MDM

Control ID: 7286b821700fe0512ed2f7b392a111913be170328f01f288d7355e4dab9f17ee