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XCCDF
Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 Security Technical Implementation Guide
Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 Security Technical Implementation Guide
An XCCDF Benchmark
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File Metadata
37 rules organized in 37 groups
SRG-APP-000207
1 Rule
Blocking as default file block opening behavior must be enforced.
Medium Severity
This policy setting allows you to determine if users can open, view, or edit Word files. If you enable this policy setting, you can set one of these options:- Blocked files are not opened- Blocked files open in Protected View and can not be edited- Blocked files open in Protected View and can be edited. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the behavior is the same as the "Blocked files are not opened" setting. Users will not be able to open blocked files.
SRG-APP-000112
1 Rule
The Internet Explorer Bind to Object functionality must be enabled in PowerPoint.
Medium Severity
Internet Explorer performs a number of safety checks before initializing an ActiveX control. It will not initialize a control if the kill bit for the control is set in the registry, or if the security settings for the zone in which the control is located do not allow it to be initialized. This functionality can be controlled separately for instances of Internet Explorer spawned by Office applications (for example, if a user clicks a link in an Office document or selects a menu option that loads a web page). A security risk could occur if potentially dangerous controls are allowed to load.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
The Saved from URL mark must be selected to enforce Internet zone processing in PowerPoint.
Medium Severity
Typically, when Internet Explorer loads a web page from a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) share that contains a Mark of the Web (MOTW) comment, indicating the page was saved from a site on the Internet, Internet Explorer runs the page in the Internet security zone instead of the less restrictive Local Intranet security zone. This functionality can be controlled separately for instances of Internet Explorer spawned by Office applications (for example, if a user clicks a link in an Office document or selects a menu option that loads a web page). If Internet Explorer does not evaluate the page for a MOTW, potentially dangerous code could be allowed to run.
SRG-APP-000112
1 Rule
Configuration for file validation must be enforced.
Medium Severity
This policy setting allows you to turn off the file validation feature. If you enable this policy setting, file validation will be turned off. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, file validation will be turned on. Office Binary Documents (97-2003) are checked to see if they conform against the file format schema before they are opened.
SRG-APP-000207
1 Rule
Files from the Internet zone must be opened in Protected View.
Medium Severity
This policy setting allows you to determine if files downloaded from the Internet zone open in Protected View. If you enable this policy setting, files downloaded from the Internet zone do not open in Protected View. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, files downloaded from the Internet zone open in Protected View.
SRG-APP-000207
1 Rule
Add-on Management functionality must be allowed in PowerPoint.
Medium Severity
Internet Explorer add-ons are pieces of code, run in Internet Explorer, to provide additional functionality. Rogue add-ons may contain viruses or other malicious code. Disabling or not configuring this setting could allow malicious code or users to become active on user computers or the network. For example, a malicious user can monitor and then use keystrokes users type into Internet Explorer. Even legitimate add-ons may demand resources, compromising the performance of Internet Explorer, and the operating systems for user computers.
SRG-APP-000131
1 Rule
Add-ins to Office applications must be signed by a Trusted Publisher.
Medium Severity
This policy setting controls whether add-ins for this applications must be digitally signed by a trusted publisher. If you enable this policy setting, this application checks the digital signature for each add-in before loading it. If an add-in does not have a digital signature, or if the signature did not come from a trusted publisher, this application disables the add-in and notifies the user. Certificates must be added to the Trusted Publishers list if you require that all add-ins be signed by a trusted publisher. For detail on about obtaining and distributing certificates, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=294922. Office 2016 stores certificates for trusted publishers in the Internet Explorer trusted publisher store. Earlier versions of Microsoft Office stored trusted publisher certificate information (specifically, the certificate thumbprint) in a special Office trusted publisher store. Office 2016 still reads trusted publisher certificate information from the Office trusted publisher store, but it does not write information to this store. Therefore, if you created a list of trusted publishers in a previous version of Office and you upgrade to Office 2016, your trusted publisher list will still be recognized. However, any trusted publisher certificates that you add to the list will be stored in the Internet Explorer trusted publisher store. For more information about trusted publishers, see the Office Resource Kit. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, this application does not check the digital signature on application add-ins before opening them. If a dangerous add-in is loaded, it could harm users' computers or compromise data security.
SRG-APP-000207
1 Rule
Links that invoke instances of Internet Explorer from within an Office product must be blocked in PowerPoint.
Medium Severity
The Pop-up Blocker feature in Internet Explorer can be used to block most unwanted pop-up and pop-under windows from appearing. This functionality can be controlled separately for instances of Internet Explorer spawned by Office applications (for example, if a user clicks a link in an Office document or selects a menu option that loads a web page). If the Pop-up Blocker is disabled, disruptive and potentially dangerous pop-up windows could load and present a security risk.
SRG-APP-000131
1 Rule
Trust Bar Notifications for unsigned application add-ins must be blocked.
Medium Severity
This policy setting controls whether the specified Office application notifies users when unsigned application add-ins are loaded or silently disable such add-ins without notification. This policy setting only applies if you enable the "Require that application add-ins are signed by Trusted Publisher" policy setting, which prevents users from changing this policy setting. If you enable this policy setting, applications automatically disable unsigned add-ins without informing users. If you disable this policy setting, if this application is configured to require that all add-ins be signed by a trusted publisher, any unsigned add-ins the application loads will be disabled and the application will display the Trust Bar at the top of the active window. The Trust Bar contains a message that informs users about the unsigned add-in. If you do not configure this policy setting, the disable behavior applies, and in addition, users can configure this requirement themselves in the "Add-ins" category of the Trust Center for the application.
SRG-APP-000209
1 Rule
File Downloads must be configured for proper restrictions in PowerPoint.
Medium Severity
Disabling this setting allows websites to present file download prompts via code without the user specifically initiating the download. User preferences may also allow the download to occur without prompting or interaction with the user. Even if Internet Explorer prompts the user to accept the download, some websites abuse this functionality. Malicious websites may continually prompt users to download a file or present confusing dialog boxes to trick users into downloading or running a file. If the download occurs and it contains malicious code, the code could become active on user computers or the network.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
All automatic loading from trusted locations must be disabled.
Medium Severity
This policy setting allows administrators to disable all trusted locations in the specified applications. Trusted locations specified in the Trust Center are used to define file locations that are assumed to be safe. Content, code, and add-ins are allowed to load from trusted locations with a minimal amount of security, without prompting the users for permission. If a dangerous file is opened from a trusted location, it will not be subject to standard security measures and could harm users' computers or data. If you enable this policy setting, all trusted locations (those specified in the Trust Center) in the specified applications are ignored, including any trusted locations established by Office 2016 during setup, deployed to users using Group Policy, or added by users themselves. Users will be prompted again when opening files from trusted locations. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, all trusted locations (those specified in the Trust Center) in the specified applications are assumed to be safe.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
Disallowance of trusted locations on the network must be enforced.
Medium Severity
This policy setting controls whether trusted locations on the network can be used. If you enable this policy setting, users can specify trusted locations on network shares or in other remote locations that are not under their direct control by clicking the "Add new location" button in the Trusted Locations section of the Trust Center. Content, code, and add-ins are allowed to load from trusted locations with minimal security and without prompting the user for permission. If you disable this policy setting, the selected application ignores any network locations listed in the Trusted Locations section of the Trust Center. If you also deploy Trusted Locations via Group Policy, you should verify whether any of them are remote locations. If any of them are remote locations and you do not allow remote locations via this policy setting, those policy keys that point to remote locations will be ignored on client computers. Disabling this policy setting does not delete any network locations from the Trusted Locations list, but causes disruption for users who add network locations to the Trusted Locations list. Users are also prevented from adding new network locations to the Trusted Locations list in the Trust Center. We recommended that you do not enable this policy setting (as the "Allow Trusted Locations on my network (not recommended)" check box also states). Therefore, in practice, it should be possible to disable this policy setting in most situations without causing significant usability issues for most users. If you do not enable this policy setting, users can select the "Allow Trusted Locations on my network (not recommended)" check box if desired and then specify trusted locations by clicking the "Add new location" button.
SRG-APP-000141
1 Rule
The Save commands default file format must be configured.
Medium Severity
This policy setting governs the default format for new presentation files that users create. If you enable this policy setting, when a user creates a new blank presentation, it is in the specified default format. Users may still override the default and specify a specific format when they create a presentation. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, PowerPoint Presentation is the default option.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
The scanning of encrypted macros in open XML documents must be enforced.
Medium Severity
This policy setting controls whether encrypted macros in Open XML presentations are required to be scanned with anti-virus software before being opened. If you enable this policy setting, you may choose one of these options:- Scan encrypted macros: encrypted macros are disabled unless anti-virus software is installed. Encrypted macros are scanned by your anti-virus software when you attempt to open an encrypted presentation that contains macros.- Scan if anti-virus software available: if anti-virus software is installed, scan the encrypted macros first before allowing them to load. If anti-virus software is not available, allow encrypted macros to load.- Load macros without scanning: do not check for anti-virus software and allow macros to be loaded in an encrypted file. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the behavior will be similar to the "Scan encrypted macros" option.
SRG-APP-000141
1 Rule
Trust access for VBA must be disallowed.
Medium Severity
This policy setting controls whether automation clients such as Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Microsoft Office (VSTO) can access the Visual Basic for Applications project system in the specified applications. VSTO projects require access to the Visual Basic for Applications project system in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, even though the projects do not use Visual Basic for Applications. Design-time support of controls in both Visual Basic and C# projects depends on the Visual Basic for Applications project system in Word and Excel. If you enable this policy setting, VSTO and other automation clients can access the Visual Basic for Applications project system in the specified applications. Users will not be able to change this behavior through the "Trust access to the VBA project object model" user interface option under the Macro Settings section of the Trust Center. If you disable this policy setting, VSTO does not have programmatic access to VBA projects. In addition, the "Trust access to the VBA project object model" check box is cleared and users cannot change it. Note: Disabling this policy setting prevents VSTO projects from interacting properly with the VBA project system in the selected application. If you do not configure this policy setting, automation clients do not have programmatic access to VBA projects. Users can enable this by selecting the "Trust access to the VBA project object model" in the "Macro Settings" section of the Trust Center. However, doing so allows macros in any documents the user opens to access the core Visual Basic objects, methods, and properties, which represents a potential security hazard.
SRG-APP-000112
1 Rule
Protection from zone elevation must be enforced in PowerPoint.
Medium Severity
Internet Explorer places restrictions on each web page users can use the browser to open. Web pages on a user's local computer have the fewest security restrictions and reside in the Local Machine zone, making this security zone a prime target for malicious users and code. Disabling or not configuring this setting could allow pages in the Internet zone to navigate to pages in the Local Machine zone to then run code to elevate privileges. This could allow malicious code or users to become active on user computers or the network.
SRG-APP-000488
1 Rule
ActiveX Installs must be configured for proper restriction in PowerPoint.
Medium Severity
Microsoft ActiveX controls allow unmanaged, unprotected code to run on the user computers. ActiveX controls do not run within a protected container in the browser like the other types of HTML or Microsoft Silverlight-based controls. Disabling or not configuring this setting does not block prompts for ActiveX control installations, and these prompts display to users. This could allow malicious code to become active on user computers or the network.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
The ability to run programs from a PowerPoint presentation must be disallowed.
Medium Severity
This policy setting controls the prompting and activation behavior for the "Run Programs" option for action buttons in PowerPoint. If you enable this policy setting, you can choose from three options to control how the "Run Programs" option functions:- Disable (don't run any programs). If users click an action button with the "Run Programs" action assigned to it, nothing will happen. This option enforces the default configuration in PowerPoint.- Enable (prompt user before running). If users click an action button with the "Run Programs" action assigned to it, PowerPoint will prompt them to continue before running the program.- Enable all (run without prompting). If users click an action button with the "Run Programs" action assigned to it. PowerPoint will run the program automatically, without prompting. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, if users click an action with the "Run Programs" action assigned to it, nothing will happen. This behavior is the same as Enabled -- Disable (don't run any programs).
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
Attachments opened from Outlook must be in Protected View.
Medium Severity
This policy setting allows for determining whether PowerPoint files in Outlook attachments open in Protected View. If enabling this policy setting, Outlook attachments do not open in Protected View. If disabling or not configuring this policy setting, Outlook attachments open in Protected View.
SRG-APP-000141
1 Rule
Warning Bar settings for VBA macros must be configured.
Medium Severity
This policy setting controls how the specified applications warn users when Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros are present. If you enable this policy setting, you can choose from four options for determining how the specified applications will warn the user about macros: - Disable all with notification: The application displays the Trust Bar for all macros, whether signed or unsigned. This option enforces the default configuration in Office. - Disable all except digitally signed macros: The application displays the Trust Bar for digitally signed macros, allowing users to enable them or leave them disabled. Any unsigned macros are disabled, and users are not notified. - Disable all without notification: The application disables all macros, whether signed or unsigned, and does not notify users. - Enable all macros (not recommended): All macros are enabled, whether signed or unsigned. This option can significantly reduce security by allowing dangerous code to run undetected. If you disable this policy setting, "Disable all with notification" will be the default setting. If you do not configure this policy setting, when users open files in the specified applications that contain VBA macros, the applications open the files with the macros disabled and display the Trust Bar with a warning that macros are present and have been disabled. Users can inspect and edit the files if appropriate, but cannot use any disabled functionality until they enable it by clicking "Enable Content" on the Trust Bar. If the user clicks "Enable Content", then the document is added as a trusted document. Important: If "Disable all except digitally signed macros" is selected, users will not be able to open unsigned Access databases. Also, note that Microsoft Office stores certificates for trusted publishers in the Internet Explorer trusted publisher store. Earlier versions of Microsoft Office stored trusted publisher certificate information (specifically, the certificate thumbprint) in a special Office trusted publisher store. Microsoft Office still reads trusted publisher certificate information from the Office trusted publisher store, but it does not write information to this store. Therefore, if you created a list of trusted publishers in a previous version of Microsoft Office and you upgrade to Office, your trusted publisher list will still be recognized. However, any trusted publisher certificates that you add to the list will be stored in the Internet Explorer trusted publisher store.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
Disabling of user name and password syntax from being used in URLs must be enforced in PowerPoint Viewer.
Medium Severity
The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) standard allows user authentication to be included in URL strings in the form http://username:password@example.com. A malicious user might use this URL syntax to create a hyperlink that appears to open a legitimate website but actually opens a deceptive (spoofed) website. For example, the URL http://www.wingtiptoys.com@example.com appears to open http://www.wingtiptoys.com but actually opens http://example.com. To protect users from such attacks, Internet Explorer usually blocks any URLs using this syntax. This functionality can be controlled separately for instances of Internet Explorer spawned by Office applications (for example, if a user clicks a link in an Office document or selects a menu option that loads a website). If user names and passwords in URLs are allowed, users could be diverted to dangerous Web pages, which could pose a security risk.
SRG-APP-000112
1 Rule
The Internet Explorer Bind to Object functionality must be enabled in PowerPoint Viewer.
Medium Severity
Internet Explorer performs a number of safety checks before initializing an ActiveX control. It will not initialize a control if the kill bit for the control is set in the registry, or if the security settings for the zone in which the control is located do not allow it to be initialized. This functionality can be controlled separately for instances of Internet Explorer spawned by Office applications (for example, if a user clicks a link in an Office document or selects a menu option that loads a web page). A security risk could occur if potentially dangerous controls are allowed to load.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
The Saved from URL mark must be selected to enforce Internet zone processing in PowerPoint Viewer.
Medium Severity
Typically, when Internet Explorer loads a web page from a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) share that contains a Mark of the Web (MOTW) comment, indicating the page was saved from a site on the Internet, Internet Explorer runs the page in the Internet security zone instead of the less restrictive Local Intranet security zone. This functionality can be controlled separately for instances of Internet Explorer spawned by Office applications (for example, if a user clicks a link in an Office document or selects a menu option that loads a web page). If Internet Explorer does not evaluate the page for a MOTW, potentially dangerous code could be allowed to run.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
Navigation to URLs embedded in Office products must be blocked in PowerPoint Viewer.
Medium Severity
To protect users from attacks, Internet Explorer usually does not attempt to load malformed URLs. This functionality can be controlled separately for instances of Internet Explorer spawned by Office applications (for example, if a user clicks a link in an Office document or selects a menu option that loads a web page). If Internet Explorer attempts to load a malformed URL, a security risk could occur.
SRG-APP-000112
1 Rule
Scripted Window Security must be enforced in PowerPoint Viewer.
Medium Severity
Malicious websites often try to confuse or trick users into giving a site permission to perform an action allowing the site to take control of the users' computers in some manner. Disabling or not configuring this setting allows unknown websites to: -Create browser windows appearing to be from the local operating system. -Draw active windows displaying outside of the viewable areas of the screen capturing keyboard input. -Overlay parent windows with their own browser windows to hide important system information, choices or prompts.
SRG-APP-000207
1 Rule
Add-on Management functionality must be allowed in PowerPoint Viewer.
Medium Severity
Internet Explorer add-ons are pieces of code, run in Internet Explorer, to provide additional functionality. Rogue add-ons may contain viruses or other malicious code. Disabling or not configuring this setting could allow malicious code or users to become active on user computers or the network. For example, a malicious user can monitor and then use keystrokes users type into Internet Explorer. Even legitimate add-ons may demand resources, compromising the performance of Internet Explorer, and the operating systems for user computers.
SRG-APP-000207
1 Rule
Links that invoke instances of Internet Explorer from within an Office product must be blocked in PowerPoint Viewer.
Medium Severity
The Pop-up Blocker feature in Internet Explorer can be used to block most unwanted pop-up and pop-under windows from appearing. This functionality can be controlled separately for instances of Internet Explorer spawned by Office applications (for example, if a user clicks a link in an Office document or selects a menu option that loads a web page). If the Pop-up Blocker is disabled, disruptive and potentially dangerous pop-up windows could load and present a security risk.
SRG-APP-000112
1 Rule
Protection from zone elevation must be enforced in PowerPoint Viewer.
Medium Severity
Internet Explorer places restrictions on each web page users can use the browser to open. Web pages on a user's local computer have the fewest security restrictions and reside in the Local Machine zone, making this security zone a prime target for malicious users and code. Disabling or not configuring this setting could allow pages in the Internet zone to navigate to pages in the Local Machine zone to then run code to elevate privileges. This could allow malicious code or users to become active on user computers or the network.
SRG-APP-000488
1 Rule
ActiveX Installs must be configured for proper restriction in PowerPoint Viewer.
Medium Severity
Microsoft ActiveX controls allow unmanaged, unprotected code to run on the user computers. ActiveX controls do not run within a protected container in the browser like the other types of HTML or Microsoft Silverlight-based controls. Disabling or not configuring this setting does not block prompts for ActiveX control installations, and these prompts display to users. This could allow malicious code to become active on user computers or the network.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
Macros must be blocked from running in Office files from the Internet.
Medium Severity
This policy setting allows you to block macros from running in Office files that come from the Internet. If you enable this policy setting, macros are blocked from running, even if 'Enable all macro's is selected in the Macro Settings section of the Trust Center. Also, instead of having the choice to 'Enable Content', users will receive a notification that macros are blocked from running. If the Office file is saved to a trusted location or was previously trusted by the user, macros will be allowed to run. If you disable or don't configure this policy setting, the settings configured in the Macro Settings section of the Trust Center determine whether macros run in Office files that come from the Internet.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
Navigation to URLs embedded in Office products must be blocked in PowerPoint.
Medium Severity
To protect users from attacks, Internet Explorer usually does not attempt to load malformed URLs. This functionality can be controlled separately for instances of Internet Explorer spawned by Office applications (for example, if a user clicks a link in an Office document or selects a menu option that loads a web page). If Internet Explorer attempts to load a malformed URL, a security risk could occur.
SRG-APP-000112
1 Rule
Scripted Window Security must be enforced in PowerPoint.
Medium Severity
Malicious websites often try to confuse or trick users into giving a site permission to perform an action allowing the site to take control of the users' computers in some manner. Disabling or not configuring this setting allows unknown websites to: -Create browser windows appearing to be from the local operating system. -Draw active windows displaying outside of the viewable areas of the screen capturing keyboard input. -Overlay parent windows with their own browser windows to hide important system information, choices or prompts.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
Files in unsafe locations must be opened in Protected View.
Medium Severity
This policy setting determines whether files located in unsafe locations will open in Protected View. If unsafe locations have not been specified, only the "Downloaded Program Files" and "Temporary Internet Files" folders are considered unsafe locations. If enabling this policy setting, files located in unsafe locations do not open in Protected View. If disabling or not configuring this policy setting, files located in unsafe locations open in Protected View.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
Document behavior if file validation fails must be set.
Medium Severity
This policy setting controls how Office handles documents when they fail file validation. If you enable this policy setting, you can configure the following options for files that fail file validation:- Block files completely. Users cannot open the files.- Open files in Protected View and disallow edit. Users cannot edit the files. This is also how Office handles the files if you disable this policy setting.- Open files in Protected View and allow edit. Users can edit the files. This is also how Office handles the files if you do not configure this policy setting.If you disable this policy setting, Office follows the "Open files in Protected View and disallow edit" behavior. If you do not configure this policy setting, Office follows the "Open files in Protected View and allow edit" behavior.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
Files on local Intranet UNC must be opened in Protected View.
Medium Severity
This policy setting lets you determine if files on local Intranet UNC file shares open in Protected View. If you enable this policy setting, files on local Intranet UNC file shares open in Protected View if their UNC paths appear to be within the Internet zone. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, files on Intranet UNC file shares do not open in Protected View if their UNC paths appear to be within the Internet zone.
SRG-APP-000209
1 Rule
File Downloads must be configured for proper restrictions in PowerPoint Viewer.
Medium Severity
Disabling this setting allows websites to present file download prompts via code without the user specifically initiating the download. User preferences may also allow the download to occur without prompting or interaction with the user. Even if Internet Explorer prompts the user to accept the download, some websites abuse this functionality. Malicious websites may continually prompt users to download a file or present confusing dialog boxes to trick users into downloading or running a file. If the download occurs and it contains malicious code, the code could become active on user computers or the network.
SRG-APP-000210
1 Rule
Disabling of user name and password syntax from being used in URLs must be enforced in PowerPoint.
Medium Severity
The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) standard allows user authentication to be included in URL strings in the form http://username:password@example.com. A malicious user might use this URL syntax to create a hyperlink that appears to open a legitimate website but actually opens a deceptive (spoofed) website. For example, the URL http://www.wingtiptoys.com@example.com appears to open http://www.wingtiptoys.com but actually opens http://example.com. To protect users from such attacks, Internet Explorer usually blocks any URLs using this syntax. This functionality can be controlled separately for instances of Internet Explorer spawned by Office applications (for example, if a user clicks a link in an Office document or selects a menu option that loads a website). If user names and passwords in URLs are allowed, users could be diverted to dangerous Web pages, which could pose a security risk.