The encryption type for password protected Office 97 thru Office 2003 must be set.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-238029 | DTOO190 | SV-238029r961128_rule | CCI-001199 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| This policy setting enables you to specify an encryption type for password-protected Office 97-2003 files. If you enable this policy setting, you can specify the type of encryption that Office applications will use to encrypt password-protected files in the older Office 97-2003 file formats. The chosen encryption type must have a corresponding cryptographic service provider (CSP) installed on the computer that encrypts the file. See the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\Defaults\Provider\ registry key for a list of CSPs installed on the local computer. Specify the encryption type to use by entering it in the provided text box in the following form:<Encryption Provider>,<Encryption Algorithm>,<Encryption Key Length>.For example, Microsoft Enhanced Cryptographic Provider v1.0,RC4,128. If you do not configure this policy setting, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word use Office 97/2000 Compatible encryption, a proprietary encryption method, to encrypt password-protected Office 97-2003 files. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Microsoft Office System 2016 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2024-12-06 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-238029r961128_chk)
Verify the policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office 2016 -> Security Settings "Encryption type for password protected Office 97-2003 files" is set to "Enabled (Microsoft Enhanced RSA and AES Cryptographic Provider,AES 256,256)".
Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key:
HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\common\security
Criteria: If the value DefaultEncryption12 is REG_SZ = "Microsoft Enhanced RSA and AES Cryptographic Provider,AES 256,256", this is not a finding.
Fix Text (F-41198r650653_fix)
Set the policy value for User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Microsoft Office 2016 -> Security Settings "Encryption type for password protected Office 97-2003 files" to "Enabled (Microsoft Enhanced RSA and AES Cryptographic Provider,AES 256,256)".