The Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP) in Windows plays a key role in discovering devices and services on local networks, especially when using Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). However, if you're not using SSDP for device discovery, disabling it can improve your system's security by reducing the attack surface and potentially boost performance by stopping unnecessary network traffic.

In this article, you'll learn how to safely disable the SSDP Discovery Service in Windows using various methods, including the Services Management Console, Command Prompt, and PowerShell. We’ll also explain the possible impacts of this action, such as reduced functionality for certain network services.

Examples:

Method 1: Disable SSDP via Services Management Console

1. Open the Services Management Console:

   • Press Win + R to open the "Run" dialog box.
   • Type services.msc and press Enter.

2. Find and Disable the SSDP Discovery Service:

   • Scroll through the list of services and locate SSDP Discovery.
   • Right-click on it and select Properties.
   • In the General tab, change the Startup type to Disabled.
   • Click Apply and then OK.

3. Stop the Service:

   • In the same Properties window, click on Stop to immediately stop the service if it is running.

Method 2: Disable SSDP via Command Prompt

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator:

   • Search for cmd in the Start menu, right-click on it, and choose Run as administrator.

2. Run the following commands:

   sc config SSDPSRV start= disabled
   sc stop SSDPSRV

Method 3: Disable SSDP via PowerShell

1. Open PowerShell as an administrator:

   • Search for PowerShell, right-click, and choose Run as administrator.

2. Execute the following commands:

   Set-Service -Name SSDPSRV -StartupType Disabled
   Stop-Service -Name SSDPSRV

Additional Step: Disabling UPnP Device Host

The SSDP protocol is often used in conjunction with UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) for network device discovery. To fully disable this functionality, you may also want to disable the UPnP Device Host service:

1. Go back to the Services Management Console (services.msc).
2. Locate the UPnP Device Host service.
3. Follow the same steps to change the Startup type to Disabled and stop the service if it’s running.

Potential Impacts:

• Network Device Detection: Disabling SSDP may prevent the automatic detection of network devices, such as printers, smart TVs, or media servers, that rely on UPnP.
• Reduced UPnP Functionality: Services that depend on UPnP, such as media streaming or file sharing across a local network, might not work correctly.

By disabling SSDP, you improve security and potentially free up system resources. However, if you rely on UPnP-enabled devices or services, you should consider the trade-offs before proceeding.