18.5.4 (L2) Ensure 'MSS: (DisableSavePassword) Prevent the dial-up password from being saved' is set to 'Enabled'

Information

When you dial a phonebook or VPN entry in Dial-Up Networking, you can use the 'Save Password' option so that your Dial-Up Networking password is cached and you will not need to enter it on successive dial attempts. For security, administrators may want to prevent users from caching passwords.

The recommended state for this setting is: Enabled

An attacker who steals a mobile user's computer could automatically connect to the organization's network if the Save This Password check box is selected for the dial-up or VPN networking entry used to connect to your organization's network.

Solution

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

Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\MSS (Legacy)\MSS:(DisableSavePassword) Prevent the dial-up password from being saved

Note: This Group Policy path does not exist by default. An additional Group Policy template ( MSS-legacy.admx/adml ) is required - it is available from this TechNet blog post:

The MSS settings - Microsoft Security Guidance blog

Impact:

Users will not be able to automatically store their logon credentials for dial-up and VPN connections.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/17603