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Enable Automation Security to enforce macro level security in Office documents


Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-17741 DTOO193 - Office SV-18924r1_rule ECPC-1 Medium
Description
By default, when a separate program is used to launch Microsoft Office Excel 2007, PowerPoint 2007, or Word 2007 programmatically, any macros can run in the programmatically opened application without being blocked. This functionality could allow an attacker to use automation to run malicious code in Excel, PowerPoint, or Word.
STIG Date
Microsoft Office System 2007 2015-10-02

Details

Check Text ( C-19005r1_chk )
The policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office 2007 system -> Security Settings “Automation Security” will be set to “Enabled (Use application macro security level)”.

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

HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\Common\Security

Criteria: If the value AutomationSecurity is REG_DWORD = 2, this is not a finding.
Fix Text (F-17641r1_fix)
The policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office 2007 system -> Security Settings “Automation Security” will be set to “Enabled (Use application macro security level)”.

"Note: Group Policy Administrative Templates are available from the www.microsoft.com download site. The MS Office 2007 System (Office12.adm) is included in the AdminTemplates.exe file. This template provides the
mechanisms to incorporate Microsoft Office 2007 System policies via the Microsoft Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)."

"Note: If the Microsoft Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) is not used to incorporate the remediation to this vulnerability the Microsoft Registry Editor (regedit.exe) may be used to create the registry key and value required."