5.1.19 Set 'Add-on Management: outlook.exe' to 'Enabled:True'

Information

Prevents add-ons disabled by the user or Group Policy from running or installing. This
Internet Explorer feature control setting mitigates threats that can occur when an
application programmatically uses Internet Explorer functionality. The recommended state
for this setting is- Enabled-True.

*Rationale*

Internet Explorer add-ons are pieces of code that 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 that a user types into Internet Explorer. Even legitimate add-ons may
demand resources that compromise the performance of Internet Explorer and the
operating systems of user computers.

Solution

To implement the recommended configuration state, set the following Group Policy setting
to Enabled.

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Office 2010
(Machine)\Security Settings\IE Security\Add-on Management\Add-on Management

Then set the Add-on Management- outlook.exe option to True.

Impact-Some legitimate programs, including ones from Microsoft, use add-ons to display
documents, audio, and video in Internet Explorer. The organization's Group Policy should
incorporate approved, commonly-used add-ons to avoid limiting important user
functionality.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/530

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-6b., CSCv6|3.1

Plugin: Windows

Control ID: 509f0b2d632e6b541ee8043b071e2aaafb3e569271818e0109a08daf1e9af030