1.1.4.1.8 Ensure 'Navigate URL' is set to 'Enabled'

Information

This setting controls whether Internet Explorer attempts to load malformed URLs that are passed to it from Office applications.

The recommended state for this setting is: Enabled: groove.exe, excel.exe, mspub.exe, powerpnt.exe, pptview.exe, visio.exe, winproj.exe, winword.exe, outlook.exe, spDesign.exe, exprwd.exe, msaccess.exe, onent.exe, mse7.exe.

Rationale:

To protect users from attacks, Internet Explorer usually does not attempt to load malformed URLs. 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 Internet Explorer attempts to load a malformed URL, a security risk could occur in some cases.

Impact:

Enabling this setting does not block any legitimate URLs, and is therefore unlikely to cause usability issues for any Office users.

Solution

To establish the recommended configuration via GP, set the following UI path to Enabled: check all applications:

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Office 2016 (Machine)\Security Settings\IE Security\Navigate URL

Default Value:

Not Configured

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/12129

Item Details

Category: SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATIONS PROTECTION

References: 800-53|SC-7(3), 800-53|SC-7(4)

Plugin: Windows

Control ID: 483e90dd0b836c95ac23e566048e85fcde1dabfb59ccd0eff9b286f6d8ac88ba