[REQ-PAW-103] Configure User Rights: Force shutdown from a remote system 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-110). (For Domain Controllers, refer to REQ-DC-123).
  • Operating Systems: Windows 10 Enterprise (1809 and above) and Windows 11 Enterprise.

Implementation Details

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

Rationale

The SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege allows a user authenticating over the network to invoke remote system shutdown and reboot APIs (such as InitiateSystemShutdownEx or shutdown.exe /m \\computer). This function is exposed over named pipe \PIPE\InitShutdown and RPC interface winreg/shutdown.

1. Technical Threat Vector & Abuse Mechanics

Adversaries who obtain credentials possessing SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege can cause widespread operational destruction: (1) Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS): An attacker can trigger mass reboots across workstations, servers, and Domain Controllers, shutting down enterprise business operations; (2) Triggering Malicious Payloads: Forcing an immediate reboot can activate installed kernel drivers, execute pending bootkit configurations, or force users to re-authenticate, exposing plaintext credentials to keystroke loggers; (3) Disrupting Incident Response: Attackers reboot systems to disrupt active volatile memory analysis and terminate forensic collection agents.

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 privilege must be restricted exclusively to Administrators (S-1-5-32-544). Standard domain users, guest accounts, and service accounts must never possess remote shutdown authority.

3. MITRE ATT&CK Mapping

  • T1529 - System Shutdown/Reboot
  • T1499 - Endpoint Denial of Service

Legacy Impact & Compatibility

  • Operational Impact: Restricting SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege to Administrators prevents unauthorized remote reboot attacks. Centralized systems management platforms (e.g., MECM, Intune, Tanium) running under administrative service contexts continue to manage reboot schedules without issue. Remote shutdown events are logged under System Event ID 1074 and Security Event ID 4672.

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 Force shutdown from a remote system.
  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-PawUraSeRemoteShutdownPrivilege.ps1

# Configure-PawUraSeRemoteShutdownPrivilege.ps1
# Configure-PawUraSeRemoteShutdownPrivilege.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_seremoteshutdownprivilege.cfg"
$DbFile = Join-Path $SecTempDir "secedit_seremoteshutdownprivilege.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*SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege\s*=") {
        $NewLines += "SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege = *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, "SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege = *S-1-5-32-544")
    } else {
        $NewLines += "SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege = *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-PawUraSeRemoteShutdownPrivilegeStatus.ps1

# Get-PawUraSeRemoteShutdownPrivilegeStatus.ps1
# Get-PawUraSeRemoteShutdownPrivilegeStatus.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_seremoteshutdownprivilege.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 = $ConfigText -match "(?mi)^\s*SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege\s*=\s*(.*)$"
$CurrentValue = ""
if ($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: 2.2.23 (L1) Ensure 'Force shutdown from a remote system' is set to 'Administrators'
  • Microsoft Security Baseline: User Rights Configuration specifications
  • Microsoft Learn: User Rights Assignment Reference

results matching ""

    No results matching ""