Vulnerability Discussion

Unnecessary roles and features increase the attack surface of a system. Limiting roles and features of a system to only those necessary reduces this potential. The standard installation option (previously called Server Core) further reduces this when selected at installation.

Check

Required roles and features will vary based on the function of the individual system.

Roles and features specifically required to be disabled per the STIG are identified in separate requirements.

Run the following Powershell command to determine installed features:

Get-WindowsFeature | Where-Object {$_. installstate -eq "installed"} | Format-List Displayname, Name, Featuretype

If the organization has not documented the roles and features displayed as required for the system, this is a finding.

Fix

Document the roles and features required for the system to operate. Uninstall any that are not required.