48.3 (L2) Ensure 'Disable Store Originated Apps' is set to 'Enabled'

Information

This setting configures the launch of all apps from the Microsoft Store that came pre-installed or were downloaded.

The recommended state for this setting is: Enabled

Note: This policy setting only applies to Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education editions.

Note #2: The name of this setting and the Enabled/Disabled values are incorrectly worded - logically, the title implies that configuring it to Enabled will disable all apps from the Microsoft Store and configuring it to Disabled will enable all apps from the Microsoft Store. The opposite is true (and is consistent with the GPME help text). This is a logical wording mistake by Microsoft in the Administrative Template.

The Store service is a retail outlet built into Windows, primarily for consumer use. In an enterprise managed environment the IT department should be managing the installation of all applications to reduce the risk of the installation of vulnerable software.

Solution

To establish the recommended configuration via configuration profiles, set the following Settings Catalog path to Enabled :

Microsoft App Store\Disable Store Originated Apps

Impact:

All apps from the Microsoft Store that came pre-installed or were downloaded are prevented from launching. Existing Microsoft Store apps will not be updated. Microsoft Store is disabled.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/16852

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-7(5), 800-53|CM-10, CSCv7|9.2

Plugin: Windows

Control ID: 725eb6dcf77e843f6efee9fd0170ad37b2430ae9486ec88030ef51ec80652075