18.9.20.1.7 (L2) Ensure 'Turn off Registration if URL connection is referring to Microsoft.com' is set to 'Enabled'

Information

This policy setting specifies whether the Windows Registration Wizard connects to Microsoft.com for online registration.

The recommended state for this setting is: Enabled

Users in an enterprise managed environment should not be registering their own copies of Windows, providing their own PII in the process.

Solution

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

Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\System\Internet Communication Management\Internet Communication settings\Turn off Registration if URL connection is referring to Microsoft.com

Note: This Group Policy path is provided by the Group Policy template ICM.admx/adml that is included with all versions of the Microsoft Windows Administrative Templates.

Impact:

Users are blocked from connecting to Microsoft.com for online registration and they cannot register their copy of Windows online.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/16913