Specify channel binding token hardening level
Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026
Supported on: At least Windows Vista
Path in the GPO console
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Remote Management (WinRM)\WinRM Service Description
This policy setting allows you to set the hardening level of the Windows Remote Management (WinRM) service with regard to channel binding tokens. If you enable this policy setting, the WinRM service uses the level specified in HardeningLevel to determine whether or not to accept a received request, based on a supplied channel binding token. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, you can configure the hardening level locally on each computer. If HardeningLevel is set to Strict, any request not containing a valid channel binding token is rejected. If HardeningLevel is set to Relaxed (default value), any request containing an invalid channel binding token is rejected. However, a request that does not contain a channel binding token is accepted (though it is not protected from credential-forwarding attacks). If HardeningLevel is set to None, all requests are accepted (though they are not protected from credential-forwarding attacks).
Registry
Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service Value name: CBTHardeningLevelStatus
MDM / Intune (CSP)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/RemoteManagement/SpecifyChannelBindingTokenHardeningLevel Microsoft Learn documentation Mapping data: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0)
Export Builder
BETAConfigure the state, scope and options, then generate .reg, PowerShell, Intune and SCCM outputs — or add the setting to a multi-setting collection.
These exports write the registry — this is not a managed GPO. ⓘ
.reg file
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Exported from gporais.com
; Policy: Specify channel binding token hardening level
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: At least Windows Vista
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service]
"CBTHardeningLevelStatus"=dword:00000001
"CbtHardeningLevel"="Relaxed"More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Specify channel binding token hardening level
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Vista
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'CBTHardeningLevelStatus' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'CbtHardeningLevel' -Value 'Relaxed' -Type StringIntune XML
OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/RemoteManagement/SpecifyChannelBindingTokenHardeningLevel
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>
<data id="HardeningLevelCombo" value="Relaxed"/>Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Specify channel binding token hardening level
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Vista
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service' -Name 'CBTHardeningLevelStatus' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service' -Name 'CbtHardeningLevel' -Expected 'Relaxed' -Kind String)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Specify channel binding token hardening level
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Vista
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'CBTHardeningLevelStatus' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'CbtHardeningLevel' -Value 'Relaxed' -Type StringSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Specify channel binding token hardening level
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Vista
# SCCM Configuration Item guidance:
# Create a Configuration Item of type "Setting: Script".
# Discovery script: use the Detection script below.
# Remediation script: use the Remediation script below.
# Compliance rule: the Discovery script output equals 'Compliant'.
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Specify channel binding token hardening level
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Vista
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service' -Name 'CBTHardeningLevelStatus' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service' -Name 'CbtHardeningLevel' -Expected 'Relaxed' -Kind String)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Specify channel binding token hardening level
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Vista
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'CBTHardeningLevelStatus' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'CbtHardeningLevel' -Value 'Relaxed' -Type StringBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.