1.6.1.11 Ensure 'Configure Attack Surface Reduction rules: Set the state for each ASR rule' is set to '75668c1f-73b5-4cf0-bb93-3ecf5cb7cc84:1'

Information

This rule blocks Office apps from injecting code into other processes. Office apps included in this setting are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

Rule ID and name:

- 75668c1f-73b5-4cf0-bb93-3ecf5cb7cc84 (Block Office applications from injecting code into other processes)

The recommended state for this setting is: 75668c1f-73b5-4cf0-bb93-3ecf5cb7cc84:1 (Block).

Note: More information on ASR rules can be found at the following link: Use Attack surface reduction rules to prevent malware infection | Microsoft Docs https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-exploit-guard/attack-surface-reduction-exploit-guard

Attack surface reduction helps prevent actions and apps that are typically used by exploit-seeking malware to infect machines.

Attackers might attempt to use Office apps to migrate malicious code into other processes through code injection, so the code can masquerade as a clean process. There are no known legitimate business purposes for using code injection.

Solution

To establish the recommended configuration via GP, set the following UI path to 75668c1f-73b5-4cf0-bb93-3ecf5cb7cc84 with a value of 1 :

Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Microsoft Defender Antivirus\Microsoft Defender Exploit Guard\Attack Surface Reduction\Configure Attack Surface Reduction rules: Set the state for each ASR rule

Note: This Group Policy path is provided by the Group Policy template WindowsDefender.admx/adml that is included with the Microsoft Windows 10 Release 1709 Administrative Templates (or newer).

Impact:

When a rule is triggered, a notification will be displayed from the Action Center.

Note: While Microsoft states that 'there are no known legitimate business purposes for using code injection', this ASR will trigger on legitimate processes, so it is recommended to start in Audit mode before creating a list of exceptions and moving finally to Block.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/25919

Item Details

Category: SYSTEM AND INFORMATION INTEGRITY

References: 800-53|SI-16, CSCv7|8.3

Plugin: Windows

Control ID: 2b03818dd96d05b6c28d177f833ecb60d8e2f117b82b010c7a2fdce522be6757