Windows PAWs must be restricted to only allow groups used to manage high-value IT resources and members of the local Administrators group to log on locally.

Severity
Group ID
Group Title
Version
Rule ID
Date
STIG Version
mediumV-243452SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227WPAW-00-001100SV-243452r991589_rule2026-02-253

Description

A main security architectural construct of a PAW is to limit users of the PAW to only administrators of high-value IT resources. This will mitigate some of the risk of attack on administrators of high-value IT resources.

ℹ️ Check

Verify the effective setting in Local Group Policy Editor. Run "gpedit.msc". Navigate to Local Computer Policy >> Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Local Policies >> User Rights Assignment. If any groups or accounts other than the following are granted the "Allow log on locally" user right, this is a finding: - Administrators - Groups specifically designated to manage high-value IT resources

✔️ Fix

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Local Policies >> User Rights Assignment >> "Allow log on locally" to only include the following groups or accounts: - Administrators - Groups specifically designated to manage high-value IT resources