The Download signed ActiveX controls property must be disallowed (Internet zone).

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-46481	DTBI022-IE11	SV-59345r1_rule	DCMC-1	Medium

Description
Active X controls can contain potentially malicious code and must only be allowed to be downloaded from trusted sites. Signed code is better than unsigned code in that it may be easier to determine its author, but it is still potentially harmful, especially when coming from an untrusted zone. This policy setting allows you to manage whether users may download signed ActiveX controls from a page in the zone. If you enable this policy, users can download signed controls without user intervention. If you select Prompt in the drop-down box, users are queried whether to download controls signed by untrusted publishers. Code signed by trusted publishers is silently downloaded. If you disable the policy setting, signed controls cannot be downloaded.

Description

Active X controls can contain potentially malicious code and must only be allowed to be downloaded from trusted sites. Signed code is better than unsigned code in that it may be easier to determine its author, but it is still potentially harmful, especially when coming from an untrusted zone. This policy setting allows you to manage whether users may download signed ActiveX controls from a page in the zone. If you enable this policy, users can download signed controls without user intervention. If you select Prompt in the drop-down box, users are queried whether to download controls signed by untrusted publishers. Code signed by trusted publishers is silently downloaded. If you disable the policy setting, signed controls cannot be downloaded.

STIG	Date
Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2015-03-26

Details

Check Text ( C-49689r2_chk )
The policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Internet Explorer -> Internet Control Panel -> Security Page -> Internet Zone -> 'Download signed ActiveX controls' must be 'Enabled', and 'Disable' selected from the drop-down box. Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key: HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\3 Criteria: If the value "1001" is REG_DWORD = 3, this is not a finding.

Check Text ( C-49689r2_chk )

The policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Internet Explorer -> Internet Control Panel -> Security Page -> Internet Zone -> 'Download signed ActiveX controls' must be 'Enabled', and 'Disable' selected from the drop-down box. Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key: HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\3 Criteria: If the value "1001" is REG_DWORD = 3, this is not a finding.

Fix Text (F-50271r1_fix)
Set the policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Internet Explorer -> Internet Control Panel -> Security Page -> Internet Zone -> 'Download signed ActiveX controls' to 'Enabled', and select 'Disable' from the drop-down box.