74.27 (L1) Ensure 'Remote Shutdown' is set to 'Administrators'

Information

This policy setting allows users to shut down Windows Vista-based or newer computers from remote locations on the network. Anyone who has been assigned this user right can cause a denial of service (DoS) condition, which would make the computer unavailable to service user requests. Therefore, it is recommended that only highly trusted administrators be assigned this user right.

The recommended state for this setting is: Administrators

Any user who can shut down a computer could cause a DoS condition to occur. Therefore, this user right should be tightly restricted.

Solution

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

User Rights\Remote Shutdown

Note: Include only one User or Group per line in the Settings Catalog configuration screen.

Impact:

If you remove the Force shutdown from a remote system user right from the Server Operators group you could limit the abilities of users who are assigned to specific administrative roles in your environment. You should confirm that delegated activities will not be adversely affected.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/16853