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V-228372

CAT II (Medium)

The Exchange Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) service must be disabled.

Rule ID

SV-228372r879587_rule

STIG

Microsoft Exchange 2016 Mailbox Server Security Technical Implementation Guide

Version

V2R6

CCIs

CCI-000381

Discussion

POP3 is not approved for use within the DoD. It uses a clear-text-based user name and password and does not support the DoD standard for PKI for email access. User name and password could easily be captured from the network, allowing a malicious user to access other system features. Uninstalling or disabling the service will prevent the use of POP3.

Check Content

Open the Windows Power Shell and enter the following command:

Get-ItemProperty 'hklm:\system\currentcontrolset\services\MSExchangePOP3' | Select Start

Note: The hklm:\system\currentcontrolset\services\MSExchangePOP3 value must be in single quotes.

If the value of "Start" is not set to "4", this is a finding.

Fix Text

Open the Windows Power Shell and enter the following command:

services.msc

Navigate to and double-click on "Microsoft Exchange POP3 Backend".

Click on the "General" tab.

In the "Startup Type" dropdown, select "Disabled".

Click the "OK" button.