9.3.7 Ensure 'Windows Firewall: Public: Logging: Name' is set to '%SystemRoot%\System32\logfiles\firewall\publicfw.log'

Information

Use this option to specify the path and name of the file in which Windows Firewall will write its log information.

The recommended state for this setting is: %SystemRoot%\System32\logfiles\firewall\publicfw.log.

Rationale:

If events are not recorded it may be difficult or impossible to determine the root cause of system problems or the unauthorized activities of malicious users.

Impact:

The log file will be stored in the specified file.

Solution

To establish the recommended configuration via GP, set the following UI path to %SystemRoot%\System32\logfiles\firewall\publicfw.log:

Computer Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Windows Firewall with Advanced Security\Windows Firewall with Advanced Security\Windows Firewall Properties\Public Profile\Logging Customize\Name

Default Value:

%SystemRoot%\System32\logfiles\firewall\pfirewall.log

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/14249

Item Details

Category: AUDIT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

References: 800-53|AU-3, 800-53|AU-9(2), 800-53|AU-12, CCE|CCE-35117-1, CSCv7|6.2, CSCv7|6.3, CSCv7|6.5

Plugin: Windows

Control ID: 03141b6bae293598b4c094e95ad89d5877602694176f0e2dae0a2ac78ddd9584