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Patch reliability is unclear, but widespread attacks make patching prudent. Go ahead and patch, but watch out for potential problems. |
Microsoft announced they are once again beginning the rollout to block macros in Office files downloaded from the Internet. Personally I would make su
[See the full post at: Microsoft rolls out macro blocking again]
Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher
Personally I would make sure that you aren’t using any Office macros in files that you haven’t removed the “mark of the web”. Remember to right mouse click a file, go into properties and see if there is an “unblock” button. When in doubt you can upload a suspicious file to http://www.virustotal.com just to be sure it’s not a malicious file.
I’ve read this paragraph ten times and I’m still not sure what you’re recommending people should do with “unblock” (which is a check box, not a button). Or why, if the default is becoming much safer than it’s been for decades.
Perhaps it’s the double negative in the first sentence.
Could you clarify please?
If you have an excel file that has macros that you use on a regular basis, and it has “mark of the web” on it I would make it so that it no longer has mark of the web. So right mouse click on the file, go into properties.
Any file that you want to use and trust and use should be made into a “trusted” document. Then if you get some sort of new file that will once again flag that it’s been downloaded from the internet you can review it’s origins.
I call it a button.
Does that help to explain? I don’t know how everyone has their local computer networks set up or how they have obtained all of their key macro enabled excel worksheets. If you have one that you must use. If you got it from somewhere else and you didn’t build the file yourself personally (it was WAY easier building macros is Lotus 123 believe me) then upload it to virustotal.com and “vet” the file. Once you have confirmed it’s not malicious, then make sure it doesn’t have mark of the web on it.
Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher
That’s how it will look in the future, if you haven’t already Unblocked.
Mark of the Web is the technology behind the blocking and unblocking.
If you have an excel file that has macros that you use on a regular basis, and it has “mark of the web” on it I would make it so that it no longer has mark of the web. So right mouse click on the file, go into properties.
Any file that you want to use and trust and use should be made into a “trusted” document.
Thanks, I understand now. But I don’t think that should be necessary for existing files being used regularly as they would have been previously “enabled”:
6. If the user had previously opened the file, before this change in default behavior, and had selected Enable content from the Trust Bar, then the macros are enabled because the file is considered trusted.
How Office determines whether to run macros in files from the internet
I take it this change won’t affect macro-enabled worksheets that were created and saved to the hard drive of the existing PC, have never neen uploaded or downloaded, and are in regular use? Just checking!
Correct. Only internet downloads or email attachments.
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