Links that invoke instances of Internet Explorer from within an Office product must be blocked.
An XCCDF Rule
Description
<VulnDiscussion>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.</VulnDiscussion><FalsePositives></FalsePositives><FalseNegatives></FalseNegatives><Documentable>false</Documentable><Mitigations></Mitigations><SeverityOverrideGuidance></SeverityOverrideGuidance><PotentialImpacts></PotentialImpacts><ThirdPartyTools></ThirdPartyTools><MitigationControl></MitigationControl><Responsibility>System Administrator</Responsibility><Responsibility>Information Assurance Officer</Responsibility><IAControls></IAControls>
- ID
- SV-53683r1_rule
- Severity
- Medium
- References
- Updated
Remediation - Manual Procedure
Set the policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office 2013 (Machine) -> Security Settings -> IE Security "Block popups" to "Enabled" and select 'excel.exe'.