# CIS Controls v8 10.4 — Configure Automatic Anti-Malware Scanning of Removable Media

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/10-4-configure-automatic-anti-malware-scanning-of-removable-media
- Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [CIS Critical Security Controls v8](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8) › Control 10 — Malware Defenses
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**CIS Controls v8**·Control `10.4`·high·Component: **Detect**

## What this control requires

> Configure anti-malware software to automatically scan removable media.
> 
> — CIS Controls v8, Control 10.4

### In plain English

Configure anti-malware software to automatically scan removable media. In practice, this means you can prove you configure software-level controls on a defined cadence.

## Why it matters

The CIS Controls are an industry-vetted, prioritised defence: skipping a safeguard widens the attack surface that the safeguards above and below it assume is closed. Audit frameworks (FedRAMP, PCI DSS, HIPAA) all cite CIS as evidence of due care.

This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation.

## What an auditor looks for

A CIS-aligned reviewer wants to see (a) which Implementation Group you are targeting, (b) a documented owner for the safeguard, and (c) a tooling or process artefact (config, scan output, ticket) that proves the safeguard runs on the cadence the control demands.

Within **Detect**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control 10.4) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles.

## How to implement

#### Cloud Posture

**CSPM.** Run Wiz / Prisma / Defender for Cloud / Security Command Center over every account; auto-ticket findings above your accepted-risk threshold.

#### Endpoint Protection

**MDM.** Make MDM enrollment a hard gate for device access (Intune compliance + Conditional Access, or Jamf + Okta device trust). Unmanaged devices simply don't get a session token.

**EDR.** Deploy CrowdStrike / SentinelOne / Defender for Endpoint to every server and laptop; alert on any host that stops sending telemetry for >24h.

#### Configuration Management

**Policy-as-code.** Codify the control as Service Control Policies (AWS), Azure Policy initiatives, or Organisation Policy (GCP) so the platform enforces what the document promises.

**IaC.** Gate Terraform / Pulumi / CloudFormation changes with Checkov / tfsec / OPA so misconfigurations never reach production.

**Drift.** Run a CSPM (Wiz / Prisma / Defender for Cloud / Security Command Center) over every account and route findings to a single risk register.

### Operational checklist

-   **Configure.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** software, anti-malware software, edr.

## Evidence to collect

-   **Infra Scan.** Continuous infrastructure-posture telemetry — AWS Config, Azure Policy compliance, GCP Organisation Policy, Wiz / Prisma findings.
-   **Edr Scan.** `edr_scan` evidence

Infrastructure posture tooling (AWS Config, Azure Policy, Nessus) verifies platform hardening. EDR telemetry (CrowdStrike, Defender for Endpoint) confirms threat detection. Focus: Configure Automatic Anti-Malware Scanning of Removable Media.

## Common pitfalls

-   Treating CSPM findings as a backlog instead of a hot queue: findings older than the policy SLA accumulate until the auditor asks why.
-   Pilot MDM rollouts that quietly exclude executives or engineers; carving out the highest-risk users is the most common audit failure.
-   Manual cloud-console changes that never make it back to Terraform — drift accumulates until the next outage forces a reconciliation.

## Related controls in CIS Controls v8

-   [**Control 10.7** — Use Behavior-Based Anti-Malware Software](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/10-7-use-behavior-based-anti-malware-software)
-   [**Control 10.6** — Centrally Manage Anti-Malware Software](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/10-6-centrally-manage-anti-malware-software)
-   [**Control 10.1** — Deploy and Maintain Anti-Malware Software](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/10-1-deploy-and-maintain-anti-malware-software)
-   [**Control 13.2** — Deploy a Host-Based Intrusion Detection Solution](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/13-2-deploy-a-host-based-intrusion-detection-solution)
-   [**Control 13.11** — Tune Security Event Alerting Thresholds](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/13-11-tune-security-event-alerting-thresholds)
-   [**Control 2.4** — Utilize Automated Software Inventory Tools](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/2-4-utilize-automated-software-inventory-tools)

## References

-   [Center for Internet Security — CIS Controls v8](https://www.cisecurity.org/controls/v8)
-   Catalogue identifier: `Control 10.4`

Topics: governance riskcloud postureedr xdrendpoint protectionconfiguration management

## Related compliance guidance

- [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.