Details

Action buttons can be used to launch external programs from PowerPoint presentations. If a malicious person adds an action button to a presentation that launches a dangerous program, it could significantly affect the security of a user’s computer and data.

Solution

Set the policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 -> PowerPoint Options -> Security ‘Run Programs’ to ‘Enabled (disable – (don’t run any programs))’.

Supportive Information

The following resource is also helpful.

• https://iasecontent.disa.mil/stigs/zip/U_MS_PowerPoint_2013_V1R6_STIG.zip

This security hardening control applies to the following category of controls within NIST 800-53: System and Communications Protection.This control applies to the following type of system Windows.

References

• 800-53|SC-18(4)
• CAT|II
• CCI|CCI-001170
• Rule-ID|SV-53519r1_rule
• STIG-ID|DTOO289
• Vuln-ID|V-17788

Source

• Tenable.com/audits