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

Severity	Group ID	Group Title	Version	Rule ID	Date	STIG Version
medium	V-238032	SRG-APP-000210	DTOO193	SV-238032r961092_rule	2024-12-06	2

Description
This policy setting controls whether macros can run in an Office 2016 application that is opened programmatically by another application. If you enable this policy setting, you can choose from three options for controlling macro behavior in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word when the application is opened programmatically: - Disable macros by default - All macros are disabled in the programmatically opened application. - Macros enabled (default) - Macros can run in the programmatically opened application. This option enforces the default configuration in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. - User application macro security level - Macro functionality is determined by the setting in the "Macro Settings" section of the Trust Center. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, when a separate program is used to launch Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, or Word programmatically, any macros can run in the programmatically opened application without being blocked.

Description

This policy setting controls whether macros can run in an Office 2016 application that is opened programmatically by another application. If you enable this policy setting, you can choose from three options for controlling macro behavior in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word when the application is opened programmatically: - Disable macros by default - All macros are disabled in the programmatically opened application. - Macros enabled (default) - Macros can run in the programmatically opened application. This option enforces the default configuration in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. - User application macro security level - Macro functionality is determined by the setting in the "Macro Settings" section of the Trust Center. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, when a separate program is used to launch Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, or Word programmatically, any macros can run in the programmatically opened application without being blocked.

ℹ️ Check
Verify the policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office 2016 -> Security Settings "Automation Security" is set to "Enabled (Use application macro security level)". Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key: HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\Common\Security Criteria: If the value AutomationSecurity is REG_DWORD = 2, this is not a finding.

ℹ️ Check

Verify the policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office 2016 -> Security Settings "Automation Security" is set to "Enabled (Use application macro security level)". Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key: HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\Common\Security Criteria: If the value AutomationSecurity is REG_DWORD = 2, this is not a finding.

✔️ Fix
Set the policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office 2016 -> Security Settings "Automation Security" to "Enabled (Use application macro security level)".