Phoenix 24
Deleting it will not immediately destroy a computer, but it can remove part of a Microsoft security mitigation.
REDMOND, WASHINGTON
Windows users may find an apparently empty folder named inetpub at the root of their system drive, normally C:\inetpub, even when they have never installed or activated Internet Information Services. Microsoft intentionally began creating the directory through security updates released in April 2025 and has instructed users not to delete it.
The folder forms part of the mitigation for CVE-2025-21204, a high-severity privilege-escalation vulnerability in the Windows Update Stack. The flaw involved improper handling of symbolic links, which could allow an already authorized local attacker to redirect a trusted system process toward another location and obtain elevated privileges. Creating the directory in advance with controlled permissions helps prevent that form of path manipulation.
The headline claim that deleting inetpub would “end the security” of a computer is exaggerated. Removing it does not disable Microsoft Defender, erase personal files or immediately make Windows unusable. It can, however, weaken the specific protection introduced against the link-resolution vulnerability. Because the folder occupies almost no storage and requires no configuration, deleting it provides no meaningful benefit.
Its familiar name creates understandable confusion because inetpub has traditionally stored content for Microsoft’s IIS web-server software. In this case, its presence does not mean that a web server is operating or that the computer has been remotely accessed. Microsoft creates it on affected Windows installations regardless of whether IIS is enabled.
Users who have already removed the directory should not recreate it manually with arbitrary permissions. Microsoft provides an official PowerShell remediation script named Set-InetpubFolderAcl, which restores the folder and applies the appropriate access-control settings. Keeping Windows updated remains equally important because the directory is only one component of the broader security correction. The episode demonstrates why unexplained system files should be verified before being removed, even when they appear completely empty.
Lo visible y lo oculto, en contexto. / The visible and the hidden, in context.