5.251 - The More Gadgets link must be disabled.

Information

Uncontrolled installation of applications can introduce various issues, including system instability, and allow access to sensitive information. Installation of applications must be controlled by the enterprise. This setting prevents access to gadgets through the More Gadgets link.

Solution

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Desktop Gadgets -> 'Override the More Gadgets Link' to 'Enabled' with 'about:blank' entered in the 'Override Gadget Location'.

To turn off Desktop Gadgets completely, configure the policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Desktop Gadgets -> 'Turn off desktop gadgets' to 'Enabled'.

See Also

https://dl.dod.cyber.mil/wp-content/uploads/stigs/zip/U_MS_Windows_7_V1R32_STIG.zip

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-11(2), CAT|II, CCI|CCI-001812, CSCv6|2, Rule-ID|SV-25268r2_rule, STIG-ID|5.251, Vuln-ID|V-15725

Plugin: Windows

Control ID: bf30df210b785c73067abfbd2f373f681fd8001c1db4c00b5ebc733f21c57ebe