Inclusion of document properties for PDF and XPS output must be disallowed.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-238036	DTOO206	SV-238036r650675_rule		Medium

Description
This policy setting controls whether document metadata can be saved in PDF and XPS documents. If you enable this policy setting, document properties metadata is not exported to PDF and XPS files. If you disable this policy setting, document properties metadata will always be saved with PDF and XPS files, and users will not be able to override this configuration. If you do not configure this policy setting, if the Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS Add-in for Microsoft Office Programs add-in is installed, document properties are saved as metadata when users save files using the PDF or XPS or Publish as PDF or XPS commands in Access, Excel, InfoPath, PowerPoint, and Word, unless the "Document properties" option is unchecked in the Options dialog.

Description

This policy setting controls whether document metadata can be saved in PDF and XPS documents. If you enable this policy setting, document properties metadata is not exported to PDF and XPS files. If you disable this policy setting, document properties metadata will always be saved with PDF and XPS files, and users will not be able to override this configuration. If you do not configure this policy setting, if the Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS Add-in for Microsoft Office Programs add-in is installed, document properties are saved as metadata when users save files using the PDF or XPS or Publish as PDF or XPS commands in Access, Excel, InfoPath, PowerPoint, and Word, unless the "Document properties" option is unchecked in the Options dialog.

STIG	Date
Microsoft Office System 2016 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2021-12-17

Details

Check Text ( C-41246r650673_chk )
Verify the policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office 2016 -> Microsoft Save As PDF and XPS add-ins "Disable inclusion of document properties in PDF and XPS output" is set to "Enabled". Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key: HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\common\fixedformat Criteria: If the value DisableFixedFormatDocProperties is REG_DWORD = 1, this is not a finding.

Check Text ( C-41246r650673_chk )

Verify the policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office 2016 -> Microsoft Save As PDF and XPS add-ins "Disable inclusion of document properties in PDF and XPS output" is set to "Enabled".

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

HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\common\fixedformat

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

Fix Text (F-41205r650674_fix)
Set the policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office 2016 -> Microsoft Save As PDF and XPS add-ins "Disable inclusion of document properties in PDF and XPS output" to "Enabled".