Vulnerability Discussion

UAC is a security mechanism for limiting the elevation of privileges, including administrative accounts, unless authorized. This setting configures Windows to only allow applications installed in a secure location on the file system, such as the Program Files or the Windows\System32 folders, to run with elevated privileges.

Check

UAC requirements are NA for Server Core installations (this is the default installation option for Windows Server 2019 versus Server with Desktop Experience).

If the following registry value does not exist or is not configured as specified, this is a finding:

Registry Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Registry Path: \SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\

Value Name: EnableSecureUIAPaths

Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 0x00000001 (1)

Fix

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Local Policies >> Security Options >> "User Account Control: Only elevate UIAccess applications that are installed in secure locations" to "Enabled".