[REQ-PAW-097] Configure User Rights: Create a pagefile for PAWs

Target Scope

  • Applicable Systems: Privileged Access Workstations (PAWs) dedicated to Tier 0 and critical administrative functions. (For Tier 2 Client Workstations and Member Servers, refer to standard baseline REQ-END-103). (For Domain Controllers, refer to REQ-DC-113).
  • Operating Systems: Windows 10 Enterprise (1809 and above) and Windows 11 Enterprise.

Implementation Details

  • Priority: Low
  • GPO Path / Registry Location:
    • Policy Display Name: Create a pagefile
    • Privilege Constant: SeCreatePagefilePrivilege
    • GPO Path: Computer Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\User Rights Assignment\Create a pagefile
    • Registry Location: Stored inside local security database under privilege SeCreatePagefilePrivilege set to *S-1-5-32-544 (Administrators).

Rationale

The SeCreatePagefilePrivilege allows a process to create, delete, and modify the parameters and allocation sizes of system paging files (pagefile.sys) via the NtCreatePagingFile API. The Windows virtual memory manager uses paging files as secondary backing storage for memory pages that are not backed by files. Paging files contain sensitive plaintext data, including process heap allocations, cached authentication tokens, cryptographic keys, and unencrypted file contents.

1. Technical Threat Vector & Abuse Mechanics

An adversary with SeCreatePagefilePrivilege can cause severe denial of service, manipulate virtual memory backing, or exfiltrate sensitive memory contents: (1) Denial of Service: An attacker can shrink or eliminate paging files, causing memory exhaustion and kernel panics (BSOD) when RAM commitments exceed physical limits; (2) Offline Extraction: An attacker can create a new paging file on an unencrypted removable disk or secondary volume, deliberately forcing sensitive kernel and process memory structures to be written to media under attacker control; (3) Storage Exhaustion: Rapidly creating massive paging files can exhaust disk capacity, disrupting critical services.

2. Architectural Defense & Least Privilege Enforcement

Privileged Access Workstations (PAWs) serve as the clean-source platform for managing Tier 0 Active Directory and cloud infrastructure. Because administrative credentials exist in memory on these devices, strict isolation must be maintained at the operating system level. Restricting this user right strictly prevents lower-tier sessions, third-party software, or interactive users from interfering with administrative operations, upholding the Clean Source Principle and preventing token kidnapping or session hijacking.

This user right must be strictly limited to Administrators (S-1-5-32-544). Paging file sizing and placement is an administrative configuration task managed during system deployment and baseline configuration; no standard user or third-party service account has any legitimate need for this privilege.

3. MITRE ATT&CK Mapping

  • T1499 - Endpoint Denial of Service
  • T1003 - OS Credential Dumping
  • T1005 - Data from Local System

Legacy Impact & Compatibility

  • Operational Impact: Restricting SeCreatePagefilePrivilege to Administrators has zero negative impact on standard applications, enterprise workloads, or user desktop experiences. Paging file management remains fully functional for operating system administrators. Security Event ID 4672 audits administrative sessions holding this privilege upon logon.

Implementation Steps

Option A: Group Policy Object (GPO) Configuration (Preferred)

  1. Open the Group Policy Management Console (gpmc.msc).
  2. Navigate to the targeted GPO linked to Tier 0 PAW systems (e.g., GPO_Hardening_PAW).
  3. In the console tree, browse to: Computer Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\User Rights Assignment
  4. Open the policy Create a pagefile.
  5. Select the Define these policy settings check box.
  6. Configure the security principal allocation to: *S-1-5-32-544 (Administrators).
  7. Click Apply and OK.
  8. Apply and verify policy enforcement across target hosts using gpupdate /force and inspect with secedit /export /cfg C:\Windows\Temp\sec_audit.cfg.

Option B: PowerShell & Registry Configuration (Remediation / Non-GPO)

Download Script: Configure-PawUraSeCreatePagefilePrivilege.ps1

# Configure-PawUraSeCreatePagefilePrivilege.ps1
# Configure-PawUraSeCreatePagefilePrivilege.ps1
$SecTempDir = Join-Path $env:TEMP "SecurityTemplates"
if (-not (Test-Path $SecTempDir)) { New-Item -Path $SecTempDir -ItemType Directory -Force | Out-Null }
$CfgFile = Join-Path $SecTempDir "ura_secreatepagefileprivilege.cfg"
$DbFile = Join-Path $SecTempDir "secedit_secreatepagefileprivilege.sdb"
$LogFile = Join-Path $SecTempDir "secedit.log"

$Process = Start-Process secedit -ArgumentList "/export /cfg `"$CfgFile`"" -Wait -NoNewWindow -PassThru
if ($Process.ExitCode -ne 0) { Throw "Failed to export security template" }

$ConfigText = Get-Content -Path $CfgFile -Raw
if ($ConfigText -notmatch "\[Privilege Rights\]") {
    $ConfigText += "`r`n[Privilege Rights]`r`n"
}

$Lines = $ConfigText -split "`r?`n"
$NewLines = @()
$InPriv = $false
$KeyAdded = $false

foreach ($Line in $Lines) {
    if ($Line -match "^\[(.*)\]$") {
        if ($Matches[1] -eq "Privilege Rights") {
            $InPriv = $true
        } else {
            $InPriv = $false
        }
    }
    if ($InPriv -and $Line -match "^\s*SeCreatePagefilePrivilege\s*=") {
        $NewLines += "SeCreatePagefilePrivilege = *S-1-5-32-544"
        $KeyAdded = $true
    } else {
        $NewLines += $Line
    }
}

if (-not $KeyAdded) {
    # Find Privilege Rights section index and insert it right after
    $Idx = $NewLines.IndexOf("[Privilege Rights]")
    if ($Idx -ge 0) {
        $NewLines.Insert($Idx + 1, "SeCreatePagefilePrivilege = *S-1-5-32-544")
    } else {
        $NewLines += "SeCreatePagefilePrivilege = *S-1-5-32-544"
    }
}

$NewLines | Set-Content -Path $CfgFile -Force
$Proc = Start-Process secedit -ArgumentList "/configure /db `"$DbFile`" /cfg `"$CfgFile`" /areas USER_RIGHTS /log `"$LogFile`"" -Wait -NoNewWindow -PassThru
if ($Proc.ExitCode -ne 0) { Throw "Failed to configure secedit user rights" }
Remove-Item -Path $CfgFile, $DbFile -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

To audit the hardening status: Download Script: Get-PawUraSeCreatePagefilePrivilegeStatus.ps1

# Get-PawUraSeCreatePagefilePrivilegeStatus.ps1
# Get-PawUraSeCreatePagefilePrivilegeStatus.ps1
$SecTempDir = Join-Path $env:TEMP "SecurityTemplates"
if (-not (Test-Path $SecTempDir)) { New-Item -Path $SecTempDir -ItemType Directory -Force | Out-Null }
$CfgFile = Join-Path $SecTempDir "ura_audit_secreatepagefileprivilege.cfg"

$Process = Start-Process secedit -ArgumentList "/export /cfg `"$CfgFile`"" -Wait -NoNewWindow -PassThru
if ($Process.ExitCode -ne 0) {
    Write-Output "Non-Compliant"
    exit 1
}

$ConfigText = Get-Content -Path $CfgFile -Raw
Remove-Item -Path $CfgFile -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

$Match = $ConfigText -match "(?mi)^\s*SeCreatePagefilePrivilege\s*=\s*(.*)$"
$CurrentValue = ""
if ($Match) {
    $CurrentValue = $Matches[1].Trim()
}

$Expected = "*S-1-5-32-544"
if ($CurrentValue -eq $Expected) {
    Write-Output "Compliant"
    exit 0
} else {
    Write-Output "Non-Compliant"
    exit 1
}

Sources & Compliance References

  • ANSSI Active Directory Hardening Guide: ANSSI Active Directory Hardening Guide: R28 (User Rights Assignment)
  • CIS Benchmark: 2.2.8 (L1) Ensure 'Create a pagefile' is set to 'Administrators'
  • Microsoft Security Baseline: User Rights Configuration specifications
  • Microsoft Learn: User Rights Assignment Reference

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