Files that have never moved across the internet, like the involved payroll spreadsheets a company's accounting department keeps on the internal HR server, will still have macros enabled by default. Windows marks files you download with a metadata attribute known as “Mark of the Web” or “zone.identifier.” These help the system do things like warn you when you're about to run software from the internet that may not be trustworthy. As a result, whether you use the feature in your daily life or not, everyone has faced risk from it for decades, making Microsoft's move this week all the more significant.īy disabling macros specifically in files obtained from the internet, Microsoft appears to be attempting a diplomatic solution. Bad actors can also craft these programs to automatically download and run additional malware on victim devices.

But as an individual Microsoft 365 user, it's not unusual if your only interaction with macros has been clicking that pesky “allow” button-or knowing avoidance.įor attackers, being able to write little programs within massive, trusted applications like Excel or Word creates the opportunity to develop what are essentially macro viruses. Businesses rely on them heavily, especially those with legacy infrastructure, and they play a crucial role in everything from financial services to government organizations. They can be written directly in Microsoft's Visual Basic for Applications programming language, or set up through translation tools that will turn a series of steps into a VBA macro, no coding skills required. Macros are small pieces of software used to automate tasks like data collection without the need to develop additional tools or applications. This week, though, Microsoft announced a seemingly minor tweak with massive implications: Beginning in April, macros will be disabled by default in files downloaded from the internet. That one click from a target creates a foothold for attackers to take over their devices.

Tricking someone into enabling macros on a downloaded Microsoft Excel or Word file is an old hacker chestnut.

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