Ensure 'VBA Macro Notification Settings' is set to 'Enabled: Disable all except digitally signed macros'

HighLevel 1Automatedoffice

Description

This policy setting controls how the specified applications warn users when Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros are present. The recommended state for this setting is: Enabled: Disable all except digitally signed macros. Rationale: By default, when a user opens a file that contains VBA macros, the macros are disabled, and a warning is displayed on the Trust Bar that the macro has been disabled. User setting: the audit checks HKEY_USERS\<SID>\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\office\16.0\publisher\security:vbawarnings (REG_DWORD) in every loaded user hive (S-1-5-21-*) and is compliant when each holds 3. 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\' + $s + '\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\office\16.0\publisher\security') -Name 'vbawarnings' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).'vbawarnings'; if (-not ($null -ne $v -and @(3) -contains [int64]$v)) { $bad += $s + ':vbawarnings=' + $v } }; if ($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 Publisher 2016\Security\Trust Center\VBA Macro Notification Settings = Enabled: Disable all except digitally signed macros

Properties

Operating systems: Any
Tags: officeproductivitycis-l1
Reference: CIS Microsoft Office Enterprise Benchmark v2.0.0 - 2.8.4.1.4 Ensure 'VBA Macro Notification Settings' is set to 'Enabled: Disable all except digitally signed macros'

Check this host

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

shell

tmaegis scan --target office