File downloads must be disallowed (Restricted Sites zone).

Severity	Group ID	Group Title	Version	Rule ID	Date	STIG Version
medium	V-223060	SRG-APP-000141	DTBI119-IE11	SV-223060r879587_rule	2023-12-01	2

Description
Sites located in the Restricted Sites Zone are more likely to contain malicious payloads and therefore downloads from this zone should be blocked. Files should not be able to be downloaded from sites that are considered restricted. This policy setting allows you to manage whether file downloads are permitted from the zone. This option is determined by the zone of the page with the link causing the download, not the zone from which the file is delivered.

Description

Sites located in the Restricted Sites Zone are more likely to contain malicious payloads and therefore downloads from this zone should be blocked. Files should not be able to be downloaded from sites that are considered restricted. This policy setting allows you to manage whether file downloads are permitted from the zone. This option is determined by the zone of the page with the link causing the download, not the zone from which the file is delivered.

ℹ️ Check
The policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Internet Explorer -> Internet Control Panel -> Security Page -> Restricted Sites Zone -> 'Allow file downloads' must be 'Enabled', and 'Disable' selected from the drop-down box. Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key: HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\4 Criteria: If the value "1803" is REG_DWORD = 3, this is not a finding.

ℹ️ Check

The policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Internet Explorer -> Internet Control Panel -> Security Page -> Restricted Sites Zone -> 'Allow file downloads' must be 'Enabled', and 'Disable' selected from the drop-down box. Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key: HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\4 Criteria: If the value "1803" is REG_DWORD = 3, this is not a finding.

✔️ Fix
Set the policy value for Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Internet Explorer -> Internet Control Panel -> Security Page -> Restricted Sites Zone -> 'Allow file downloads' to 'Enabled', and select 'Disable' from the drop-down box.