CDR (Content Disarm and Reconstruction)

This section includes:

• CDR (Content Disarm and Reconstruction)
  • About CDR (Content Disarm and Reconstruction)
  • What is sanitized by CDR
  • Supported file types
  • Enabling the CDR functionality

About CDR (Content Disarm and Reconstruction)

FortiMail Workspace Security now includes CDR [Content Disarm and Reconstruction] functionality. This CDR functionality in FortiMail Workspace Security proactively protects users from potentially harmful content that is embedded within email attachments. CDR works by sanitizing email attachments - working to remove risky elements such as macros, scripts, embedded objects, and active content. This sanitizing is done while keeping the file’s visual and functional structure intact. This reduces the risk of hidden exploits or malicious code in attachments.

CDR is performed on attachments to emails that were scanned and found to be clean. An attachment that was found to be clean may still contain risky elements, such as macros, scripts, embedded objects, and active content. Although these "clean" attachments seem to not be malicious, by removing the risky elements, CDR helps to ensure that the attachments pose no potential risk at all.

When an attachment is processed by CDR and a sanitized version of the attachment is created, the original attachment will be replaced with the sanitized version. If an admin-user needs to release the original "un-sanitized" email to the original recipient, the admin-user can use the "Resend email" button in the Scans page of FortiMail Workspace Security. This will resend the original email together with its original attachments.

Note: The re-sent email will be delivered to the recipient’s Inbox only if the verdict of the email scan doesn't force a different delivery destination for the email. For example, an email with a "malicious" verdict may be quarantined - and not delivered to the recipient's Inbox.

What is sanitized by CDR

CDR sanitizes attachments only- only the first-level attachments are sanitized.

Supported file types

The FortiMail Workspace Security CDR functionality sanitizes the following file types only:

• Microsoft Office file-types (.doc, .docx, .docm, .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm, .ppt, .pptx, .pptm etc.)

• .pdf files

• .zip files

Enabling the CDR functionality

The CDR functionality can be enabled by FortiMail Workspace Security Support only. For assistance, contact FortiMail Workspace Security Support [support@perception-point.io].

Note: By default, the CDR functionality is not enabled.

See also: 

• Scans