The Public Folder virtual directory must be removed if not in use by the site.
An XCCDF Rule
Description
<VulnDiscussion>To reduce the vectors through which a server can be attacked, unneeded application components should be disabled or removed. By default, a virtual directory is installed for Public Folders. If an attacker were to intrude into an Exchange CA server and be able to access the public folder web site, it would provide an additional attack vector, provided the virtual directory was present. Once removed, the Public functionality cannot be used without restoring the virtual directory. </VulnDiscussion><FalsePositives></FalsePositives><FalseNegatives></FalseNegatives><Documentable>false</Documentable><Mitigations></Mitigations><SeverityOverrideGuidance></SeverityOverrideGuidance><PotentialImpacts></PotentialImpacts><ThirdPartyTools></ThirdPartyTools><MitigationControl></MitigationControl><Responsibility></Responsibility><IAControls>ECSC-1</IAControls>
- ID
- SV-43991r1_rule
- Severity
- Low
- Updated
Remediation - Manual Procedure
Open the Exchange Management Shell and enter the following command:
Remove-PublicFolder -Identity <'Identity'> -Server <'ServerName'> -Recurse: $true
Note: This command removes both the root directory and any subdirectories.