Data Execution Prevention must be enforced.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-26590	DTOO128 - Excel	SV-33855r1_rule	ECSC-1	Medium

Description
Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is a set of hardware and software technologies performing additional checks on memory to help prevent malicious code from running on a system. The primary benefit of DEP is to help prevent code execution from data pages. Enabling this setting, turns off Data Execution Prevention. As a result, malicious code takes advantage of code injection or buffer overflow vulnerabilities possibly exploiting the computer.

Description

Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is a set of hardware and software technologies performing additional checks on memory to help prevent malicious code from running on a system. The primary benefit of DEP is to help prevent code execution from data pages. Enabling this setting, turns off Data Execution Prevention. As a result, malicious code takes advantage of code injection or buffer overflow vulnerabilities possibly exploiting the computer.

STIG	Date
Microsoft Excel 2010	2011-09-29

Details

Check Text ( C-34193r1_chk )
The policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Excel 2010 -> Excel Options -> Security -> Trust Center “Turn off Data Execution Prevention” must be set to “Disabled". Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key: HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\14.0\excel\security Criteria: If the value EnableDEP is REG_DWORD = 1, this is not a finding.

Check Text ( C-34193r1_chk )

The policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Excel 2010 -> Excel Options -> Security -> Trust Center “Turn off Data Execution Prevention” must be set to “Disabled".

Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key:

HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\14.0\excel\security

Criteria: If the value EnableDEP is REG_DWORD = 1, this is not a finding.

Fix Text (F-29887r1_fix)
Set the policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Excel 2010 -> Excel Options -> Security -> Trust Center “Turn off Data Execution Prevention” to “Disabled".