Outlook must be configured to not allow hyperlinks in suspected phishing messages.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-223372 | SRG-APP-000516 | O365-OU-000027 | SV-223372r961863_rule | 2026-02-12 | 3 |
Description
This policy setting controls whether hyperlinks in suspected phishing e-mail messages in Outlook are allowed. If you enable this policy setting, Outlook will allow hyperlinks in suspected phishing messages that are not also classified as junk e-mail. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Outlook will not allow hyperlinks in suspected phishing messages, even if they are not classified as junk e-mail.
ℹ️ Check
Verify the policy value for User Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Microsoft Outlook 2016 >> Security >> Trust Center "Allow hyperlinks in suspected phishing e-mail messages" is set to "Disabled".
Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key:
HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\outlook\options\mail
If the value JunkMailEnableLinks is REG_DWORD = 0, this is not a finding.
✔️ Fix
Set the policy value for User Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Microsoft Outlook 2016 >> Security >> Trust Center "Allow hyperlinks in suspected phishing e-mail messages" to "Disabled".