Say goodbye to the Remote Mail Slot protocol in Windows 11

We've been talking lately about the many features Microsoft plans to add to its latest operating system, Windows 11.

But don’t think that Microsoft will only add nothing and take nothing back. In fact, the software giant started removing quite a few old features.

After announcing plans to retire MSDT functionality ahead of the release of Windows 12, a Redmond developer has more bad news.

We are actually talking about the remote mail slot legacy tool. Trust us when we say you actually want to know this.

Microsoft has started deprecating this feature in build 25314

We are sure you remember that just a few days ago, Microsoft released build 25314 in its new canary channel .

The above version includes a number of new features, including access key shortcuts and suggestions in File Explorer, and LSA protection enablement.

Not to mention there are signs of upcoming improvements to the taskbar and Windows Settings.

However, especially when it comes to security, the Redmond-based tech company is moving away from the remote mail slot protocol.

Through a dedicated blog post, Microsoft's principal program manager Ned Pyle pointed out that in the latest Canary Channel version, the traditional Remote Mailslot protocol has been disabled by default.

What should be the solution? Well, it looks like it will be deprecated soon and will eventually be permanently removed.

If you don’t know, Remote Mailslot is actually a protocol that belongs to the LAN Manager DOS era, that is, earlier than Windows NT.

Note that it follows a communication process where the mailslot server creates a message slot to which the client can write data, up to 424 bytes.

Please remember that the mailslot is temporary and once all handles to it are closed, the mailslot and all data in it will be deleted.

Previously, mail slots were used to broadcast messages within a domain, and Pyle had particularly strong views on the legacy protocol, calling it disgusting and bullshit.

So, starting with build 25314 in the canary channel, the remote mail slot is disabled by default and you will get an error if you try to access it.

Also, if you encounter bugs, Pyle recommends yelling at your software vendor and telling them to upgrade their software to join the 21st century.

And, when your vendor requests time to accommodate your needs, you can get the remote mail slot running again by running the following PowerShell command, knowing that this poses a significant security risk to your organization:

PS C:\> Set-SmbClientConfiguration -EnableMailslots $true

Keep in mind that removing the remote mail slot will not affect 99.97% of Windows customers as it is also used in conjunction with the SMB1 protocol which has also been disabled for the past few years.

The above is the detailed content of Say goodbye to the Remote Mail Slot protocol in Windows 11. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!