Disable or Remove Feature or Program

Remove or deny access to unnecessary and potentially vulnerable software to prevent abuse by adversaries.

ID: M0942
Security Controls: IEC 62443-3-3:2013 - SR 7.7, IEC 62443-4-2:2019 - CR 7.7, NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - CM-7
Version: 1.0
Created: 11 June 2019
Last Modified: 19 September 2023

Techniques Addressed by Mitigation

Domain ID Name Use
ICS T0830 Adversary-in-the-Middle

Disable unnecessary legacy network protocols that may be used for AiTM if applicable.

ICS T0807 Command-Line Interface

Consider removing or restricting features that are unnecessary to an asset's intended function within the control environment.

ICS T0885 Commonly Used Port

Ensure that unnecessary ports and services are closed to prevent risk of discovery and potential exploitation.

ICS T0816 Device Restart/Shutdown

Ensure remote commands that enable device shutdown are disabled if they are not necessary. Examples include DNP3's 0x0D function code or unnecessary device management functions.

ICS T0866 Exploitation of Remote Services

Ensure that unnecessary ports and services are closed to prevent risk of discovery and potential exploitation.

ICS T0822 External Remote Services

Consider removal of remote services which are not regularly in use, or only enabling them when required (e.g., vendor remote access). Ensure all external remote access point (e.g., jump boxes, VPN concentrator) are configured with least functionality, especially the removal of unnecessary services. [1]

ICS T0847 Replication Through Removable Media

Consider the disabling of features such as AutoRun.

ICS T0853 Scripting

Consider removal or disabling of programs and features which may be used to run malicious scripts (e.g., scripting language IDEs, PowerShell, visual studio).

References