Basic authentication for RSS feeds over HTTP must not be used.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-253408 | SRG-OS-000095-GPOS-00049 | WN11-CC-000300 | SV-253408r958478_rule | 2026-02-12 | 2 |
Description
Basic authentication uses plain text passwords that could be used to compromise a system.
ℹ️ Check
The default behavior is for the Windows RSS platform to not use Basic authentication over HTTP connections.
If it exists and is configured with a value of "1", this is a finding.
Registry Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Registry Path: \SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Feeds\
Value Name: AllowBasicAuthInClear
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 0 (or if the Value Name does not exist)
✔️ Fix
The default behavior is for the Windows RSS platform to not use Basic authentication over HTTP connections.
To correct this, configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Windows Components >> RSS Feeds >> "Turn on Basic feed authentication over HTTP" to "Not Configured" or "Disabled".