STIGUI
V-268037CAT II — Medium severitySV-268037r1031217_rule

Apple iOS/iPadOS 18 must implement the management setting: treat AirDrop as an unmanaged destination.

Rule version AIOS-18-011500 · STIG v2 · 2026-05-13

Discussion

AirDrop is a way to send contact information or photos to other users with AirDrop enabled. This feature enables a possible attack vector for adversaries to exploit. Once the attacker has gained access to the information broadcast by this feature, the attacker may distribute this sensitive information very quickly and without DOD's control or awareness. By disabling this feature, the risk of mass data exfiltration will be mitigated.

Note: If the site uses Apple's optional Automatic Device Enrollment, this control is available as a supervised MDM control.

SFRID: FMT_SMF.1.1 #47

Check

Review configuration settings to confirm "Treat AirDrop as an unmanaged destination" is enabled.

This check procedure is performed on both the Apple iOS/iPadOS management tool and the iPhone and iPad.

Note: If an organization has multiple configuration profiles, the check procedure must be performed on the relevant configuration profiles applicable to the scope of the review.

In the Apple iOS/iPadOS management tool, verify "Treat AirDrop as unmanaged destination" is checked.

On the iPhone and iPad: 1. Open the Settings app. 2. Tap "General". 3. Tap "VPN & Device Management". 4. Tap the Configuration management tool containing the restrictions policy. 5. Tap "Restrictions". 6. Verify "Sharing managed documents using AirDrop not allowed" is listed.

If "Treat AirDrop as unmanaged destination" is disabled in the Apple iOS/iPadOS management tool or the restrictions policy on the iPhone and iPad does not list "Sharing managed documents using AirDrop not allowed", this is a finding.

Fix

Install a configuration profile to treat AirDrop as an unmanaged destination.

Identifiers

Group ID
V-268037
Group title
PP-MDF-993300
Rule ID
SV-268037r1031217_rule
Check ID
C-71961r1030862_chk
Fix ID
F-71864r1030863_fix