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  1. C:
  2. Windows
  3. System32
  4. icsxml
FolderRisk: Caution

icsxml C:\Windows\System32\icsxml

C:\Windows\System32\icsxml: XML description files of the UPnP device and its services, published by Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).

Updated on By AltF4 Formation

What it’s for

When a Windows machine shares its Internet connection (ICS) or exposes a gateway, it presents itself to the other devices on the network as a UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) device. icsxml stores the XML files that describe that device and its services.

What it contains

  • XML device and service description files. A UPnP device publishes an XML description document listing the services it provides, with properties such as its name and icons.
  • Schema and description files for the Internet gateway.
  • These files are static and belong to the system.

Risks and best practices

  • If these files are modified or deleted, Internet Connection Sharing and gateway discovery can fail.
  • UPnP exposes automatic network services. On a workstation that does not need it, disable the “UPnP Device Host” and “Internet Connection Sharing” services instead of touching the files.
  • Do not enable UPnP on an untrusted network or on an exposed machine.

Useful commands

Fenêtre de terminal
# State of the services tied to UPnP and connection sharing
Get-Service SSDPSRV, upnphost, SharedAccess | Select-Object Name, DisplayName, Status, StartType


# Folder contents
Get-ChildItem "$env:windir\System32\icsxml" -Force

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