Ensure 'Suppress external signature services menu item' is set to 'Enabled'

HighLevel 1Automatedoffice

Description

This policy setting controls whether Outlook displays the "Add Signature Services" menu item. The recommended state for this setting is: Enabled. Rationale: By default, users can select Add Signature Services (from the Signature Line drop-down menu on the Insert tab of the Ribbon in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word) to see a list of signature service providers on the Microsoft Office Web site. User setting: the audit checks HKEY_USERS\<SID>\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\office\16.0\common\signatures:suppressextsigningsvcs (REG_DWORD) in every loaded user hive (S-1-5-21-*) and is compliant when each holds 1. It prints 'no-user-hive-loaded' (FAIL) when no user profile is loaded, so scan while users are logged on.

How it is checked

Audit method: Windows registry

registry

$sids = @(Get-ChildItem -Path 'Registry::HKEY_USERS' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object { $_.PSChildName -match '^S-1-5-21-\d+-\d+-\d+-\d+$' } | ForEach-Object { $_.PSChildName }); if ($sids.Count -eq 0) { 'no-user-hive-loaded' } else { $bad = @(); foreach ($s in $sids) { $v = (Get-ItemProperty -Path ('Registry::HKEY_USERS\' + $s + '\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\office\16.0\common\signatures') -Name 'suppressextsigningsvcs' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).'suppressextsigningsvcs'; if (-not ($null -ne $v -and @(1) -contains [int64]$v)) { $bad += $s + ':suppressextsigningsvcs=' + $v } }; if ($bad.Count -eq 0) { 'compliant' } else { 'non-compliant: ' + ($bad -join ', ') } }

Expected output: compliant

How it is fixed

Fix method: Guidance or infrastructure patch

Configure through Group Policy (User Configuration): User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Office 2016\Signing\Suppress external signature services menu item = Enabled

Properties

Operating systems: Any
Tags: officeproductivitycis-l1
Reference: CIS Microsoft Office Enterprise Benchmark v2.0.0 - 2.3.31.2 Ensure 'Suppress external signature services menu item' is set to 'Enabled'

Check this host

Run this on a machine you are allowed to audit. The scan is read-only.

shell

tmaegis scan --target office