Exchange filtered messages must be archived.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-221234	EX16-ED-000350	SV-221234r612603_rule		Medium

Description
By performing filtering at the perimeter, up to 90 percent of spam, malware, and other undesirable messages are eliminated from the message stream rather than admitting them into the mail server environment. This significantly reduces the attack vector for inbound email-borne spam and malware. As messages are filtered, it is prudent to temporarily host them in an archive for evaluation by administrators or users. The archive can be used to recover messages that might have been inappropriately filtered, preventing data loss, and to provide a base of analysis that can provide future filter refinements.

Description

By performing filtering at the perimeter, up to 90 percent of spam, malware, and other undesirable messages are eliminated from the message stream rather than admitting them into the mail server environment. This significantly reduces the attack vector for inbound email-borne spam and malware. As messages are filtered, it is prudent to temporarily host them in an archive for evaluation by administrators or users. The archive can be used to recover messages that might have been inappropriately filtered, preventing data loss, and to provide a base of analysis that can provide future filter refinements.

STIG	Date
Microsoft Exchange 2016 Edge Transport Server Security Technical Implementation Guide	2020-12-10

Details

Check Text ( C-22949r411828_chk )
Note: If third-party anti-spam product is being used, the anti-spam product must be configured to meet the requirement. Open the Exchange Management Shell and enter the following command: Get-ContentFilterConfig \| Select Name, QuarantineMailbox If no SMTP address is assigned to "QuarantineMailbox", this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-22938r411829_fix)
Open the Exchange Management Shell and enter the following command: Set-ContentFilterConfig -QuarantineMailbox <'QuarantineMailbox SmtpAddress'> Note: The value must be in single quotes.