Automation Security to enforce macro level security in Office documents must be configured.

From Microsoft Office System 2013 STIG

Associated with: CCI-001170

SV-52730r2_rule Automation Security to enforce macro level security in Office documents must be configured.

Vulnerability discussion

When a separate program is used to launch Microsoft Office Excel, PowerPoint, or Word 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.

Check content

Verify the policy value for User Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Microsoft Office 2013 >> Security Settings "Automation Security" is set to "Enabled (Use application macro security level)". Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following hive: HKEY_Users For every users profile hive under HKEY_Users, navigate to the following key: \Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\Common\Security If the value “AutomationSecurity” is REG_DWORD = 2 for all user profile hives, this is not a finding.

Fix text

Set the policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office 2013 -> Security Settings "Automation Security" to "Enabled (Use application macro security level)".

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