Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumWorkstation Hardening and Best Practices

A systems administrator is configuring security settings on a standalone Windows workstation placed in a public access area. The administrator must minimize the attack surface by ensuring unauthenticated users cannot gain access using built-in system privileges, while also preventing arbitrary scripts from executing automatically whenever a flash drive is inserted. Which of the following administrative actions best achieves these workstation hardening goals?

  1. Disable the built-in Guest account and configure Local Group Policy to disable AutoRun and AutoPlay for all drives.Answer
  2. B
    Enable the built-in Guest account with limited rights and install a physical cable lock to secure the system chassis.
  3. C
    Use Event Viewer MMC snap-in to alter account permission levels and monitor background process execution.
  4. D
    Open Indexing Options in Control Panel to restrict executable file paths and set network location to Public.

Answer

Disable the built-in Guest account and configure Local Group Policy to disable AutoRun and AutoPlay for all drives.
Disabling the built-in Guest account removes a primary default attack vector for unauthenticated users, while disabling AutoRun and AutoPlay via Local Group Policy prevents malicious binaries on inserted USB drives from executing automatically.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify key hardening requirements from the scenario.
Requirements are blocking unauthorized privilege-less login via built-in default accounts and preventing automated media execution.
Hardening standard images requires disabling unnecessary default accounts and restricting removable media auto-execution vectors.
2
Evaluate technical controls for default accounts.
Disabling the built-in Guest account mitigates unauthorized access attempts.
Built-in Guest accounts provide a known target for unauthorized users if left active.
3
Evaluate technical controls for removable media safety.
Disabling AutoRun and AutoPlay via Group Policy stops unauthorized automatic execution upon device insertion.
AutoRun and AutoPlay allow executable code on USB storage to launch without explicit user authorization.

Key Concept

Workstation Hardening Principles: Account Disabling and Auto-execution Policy Restrictions
Estimated Time:1m 15s
Rate this question

Topics

Workstation Hardening and Best Practices

More questions from this topic