Enhanced Protected Mode functionality must be enforced.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-46987	DTBI995-IE11	SV-59853r2_rule	ECSC-1	Medium

Description
Enhanced Protected Mode provides additional protection against malicious websites by using 64-bit processes on 64-bit versions of Windows. For computers running at least Windows 8, Enhanced Protected Mode also limits the locations Internet Explorer can read from in the registry and the file system. If you enable this policy setting, Enhanced Protected Mode will be turned on. Any zone that has Protected Mode enabled will use Enhanced Protected Mode. Users will not be able to disable Enhanced Protected Mode. If you disable this policy setting, Enhanced Protected Mode will be turned off. Any zone that has Protected Mode enabled will use the version of Protected Mode introduced in Internet Explorer 7 for Windows Vista. If you do not configure this policy, users will be able to turn on or turn off Enhanced Protected Mode on the "Advanced" tab of the Internet Options dialog box.

Description

Enhanced Protected Mode provides additional protection against malicious websites by using 64-bit processes on 64-bit versions of Windows. For computers running at least Windows 8, Enhanced Protected Mode also limits the locations Internet Explorer can read from in the registry and the file system. If you enable this policy setting, Enhanced Protected Mode will be turned on. Any zone that has Protected Mode enabled will use Enhanced Protected Mode. Users will not be able to disable Enhanced Protected Mode. If you disable this policy setting, Enhanced Protected Mode will be turned off. Any zone that has Protected Mode enabled will use the version of Protected Mode introduced in Internet Explorer 7 for Windows Vista. If you do not configure this policy, users will be able to turn on or turn off Enhanced Protected Mode on the "Advanced" tab of the Internet Options dialog box.

STIG	Date
Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2019-10-24

Details

Check Text ( C-49975r3_chk )
The policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Internet Explorer-> Internet Control Panel-> Advanced Page 'Turn on Enhanced Protected Mode' must be 'Enabled'. Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key: HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main Criteria: If the value "Isolation" is REG_SZ = 'PMEM', this is not a finding.

Check Text ( C-49975r3_chk )

The policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Internet Explorer-> Internet Control Panel-> Advanced Page 'Turn on Enhanced Protected Mode' must be 'Enabled'. Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key: HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main Criteria: If the value "Isolation" is REG_SZ = 'PMEM', this is not a finding.

Fix Text (F-50711r2_fix)
Set the policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Internet Explorer-> Internet Control Panel-> Advanced Page 'Turn on Enhanced Protected Mode' to 'Enabled'.