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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Disable WebDAV only when you have confirmed that no required publishing, mapped-share, application, or automation workflow depends on it. “WebDAV access” can refer to an IIS or nginx server capability, or to the WebClient service on Windows clients. Identify the component first, inventory its users and applications, then apply the narrowest platform-specific change and verify both normal web traffic and any intended file workflows.
What “WebDAV access” means
WebDAV is not one universal switch. The control you need depends on where the protocol is being used.
| Where WebDAV runs | What it does | Typical disable scope | Main risk of disabling it |
|---|---|---|---|
| IIS server | A publishing extension with authoring settings and rules | Feature, authoring configuration, or carefully selected request-filtering controls | Breaks publishing or applications that write through WebDAV |
| nginx server | Optional DAV module for file-management automation | Module methods controlled by dav_methods |
Breaks clients or automation using DAV methods |
| Windows client | The WebClient service that provides WebDAV access to HTTP or HTTPS shares | Disable the WebClient service | Breaks WebDAV-based mapped drives and file access |
Microsoft documents IIS WebDAV as a publishing capability, nginx documents its DAV module as an automation feature, and Microsoft identifies WebClient as the Windows client provider. Treat these as separate decisions rather than applying a server setting to a client, or vice versa.
Should you disable WebDAV?
Disable it when there is no verified dependency
If the server does not publish content through WebDAV and no client, application, scheduled job, or integration uses WebDAV shares, removing that unused capability is a reasonable least-functionality measure. Microsoft’s general security guidance states: “Disable this protocol on production servers if it is not used.” That is broad defensive guidance, not evidence that every WebDAV deployment is vulnerable.
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Disabling WebDAV can stop content-management publishing, authoring tools, application uploads, automated file management, or Windows users who map HTTP or HTTPS shares through WebDAV. Document the workflow owner, affected URL or share, client population, authentication method, and rollback plan before changing production.
Do not use old vulnerability reports as a blanket justification
Microsoft’s May 18, 2009 security blog discussed a specific IIS authentication-bypass issue and noted that an IIS server not running WebDAV was safe from that issue. That historical statement should not be presented as a current vulnerability notice or as proof that WebDAV is inherently unsafe today.
A practical decision checklist
- Locate the component. Decide whether the request concerns IIS, nginx, or Windows client machines.
- Inventory dependencies. Search deployment documentation, application settings, scheduled jobs, mapped drives, and user procedures for WebDAV URLs, HTTP/HTTPS shares, or DAV authoring.
- Define the intended change. Choose between removing the whole capability and restricting only selected methods.
- Assess security of what remains. If WebDAV must stay, review authentication, authorization, transport protection, and who can publish.
- Plan validation and rollback. Capture the effective configuration, schedule a test window, and preserve the prior setting so the change can be reversed quickly.
Disabling WebDAV on IIS
Understand the available controls
IIS exposes WebDAV as a publishing extension with authoring settings and rules. Microsoft’s IIS guidance also documents request filtering for verbs, extensions, hidden segments, request limits, and URL sequences. Request filtering is not the same thing as uninstalling or disabling the WebDAV feature.
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Choose the narrowest IIS scope
If no site needs WebDAV, remove or disable the IIS WebDAV capability according to the installed IIS version and your change-control process. If only one site or directory should stop accepting WebDAV, use the applicable authoring and site-level configuration instead of making a server-wide change.
The IIS <webdav> element can be configured globally, at site level, or at directory level in ApplicationHost.config. Microsoft states that WebDAV settings placed in Web.config are ignored, so do not assume an application-level file changes the effective IIS WebDAV configuration.
Be cautious with verb filtering
A blanket block on HTTP verbs can affect ordinary application traffic as well as WebDAV requests. Microsoft’s request-filtering documentation describes settings that determine whether filtering collections apply to WebDAV. Inspect the effective filtering and authoring configuration before using verb restrictions as a substitute for disabling the feature.
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Verify the IIS change
- Inspect the effective server, site, and directory configuration rather than only the file you edited.
- Exercise ordinary GET and POST traffic used by the application.
- Test a controlled WebDAV publishing attempt and confirm that an approved non-WebDAV workflow still behaves normally.
- Review IIS logs and application monitoring for denied requests or unexpected authoring failures.
Disabling WebDAV on nginx
Check whether the DAV module exists
nginx’s ngx_http_dav_module is not built by default. It must be enabled at build time with --with-http_dav_module. First confirm the deployed binary and effective configuration; changing a directive has no effect if the module is absent.
Use the documented method control
The dav_methods directive accepts off or supported methods, and its documented default is off. Setting it to off denies all methods handled by that module. This disables DAV processing by nginx; it does not remove the module from the binary, and it does not automatically govern behavior implemented by another upstream application.
Validate the deployed path
- Confirm which
serverorlocationblock handles the target URL. - Inspect the effective configuration after reload and ensure the intended block contains the setting.
- Test ordinary web requests and a controlled DAV request against the actual endpoint.
- Check upstream application logs if nginx proxies requests to another service that may implement its own file methods.
Disabling WebDAV on Windows clients
What the WebClient service controls
Microsoft’s Windows Server documentation identifies the WebClient service as the provider of WebDAV protocol support on Windows clients. If users are not accessing SMB shares over HTTP or HTTPS through WebDAV, Microsoft says the service can be disabled.
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Check user impact first
Disabling WebClient can disrupt mapped drives, shortcuts, scripts, or applications that open WebDAV shares. Inventory affected machines and users, then test a representative workstation before broad deployment. A conventional SMB share is not automatically affected unless the workflow actually uses WebDAV over HTTP or HTTPS.
Account for the HTTPS limitation
The same Microsoft documentation says that when users access files through WebDAV, there is no method to force a TLS-based connection over HTTPS. Treat that as a documented limitation to assess against your Windows version and actual deployment; it is not a reason to assume every WebDAV connection is unencrypted or to skip usage discovery.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Disable the whole capability or restrict methods?
| Option | Use it when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Disable or remove the capability | No approved workflow uses WebDAV | Clearest reduction in exposed functionality, but all dependent workflows stop |
| Restrict selected methods | A documented workflow needs limited DAV operations | Preserves part of the workflow while requiring precise testing of method dependencies |
| Leave it enabled with tighter governance | Publishing is essential and cannot be redesigned immediately | Requires ongoing authorization, monitoring, and transport review |
Compare each option by component and scope, business impact, retained security properties, and how easily the change can be validated and rolled back. No single setting is correct for IIS, nginx, and Windows clients alike.
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After the change: verification and recovery
Verify the effective state
Configuration files, inherited settings, build options, and service state can differ from what an administrator expects. Inspect the effective IIS or nginx configuration, confirm the Windows service state where relevant, and record the resulting setting.
Test both allowed and denied behavior
Confirm that ordinary application traffic, authentication, uploads that are not WebDAV-based, and monitoring still work. Then test the specific WebDAV workflow you intended to stop or preserve. A successful page load alone does not prove that publishing or mapped-share behavior is correct.
Roll back deliberately
If an owner reports a broken dependency, restore the recorded prior configuration or service state, retest the workflow, and document the missing dependency before attempting a narrower change. Do not permanently re-enable broad access without deciding which methods and users are actually required.
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