Kellie Eickmeyer News Today

Microsoft lets users know why they currently still allow macros

Office macros are widely used by cybercriminal groups.

Microsoft is still planning to block Office VBA macros by default. The software maker rolled back planned changes last week, surprising IT admins who were preparing for the change.

Threat groups often hide malware behind macros in innocent-seeming documents, but Microsoft's proposed change should make that route less effective

Office macros, which provide programming functions for use in common workplace documents, have been a launching pad for malicious actors since the Clinton administration. The Concept Virus first appeared in 1995. Nearly thirty years later, it is still a problem, despite Microsoft's previous efforts to curb adversarial use.

In so many ways macros have made life easier for Office users, helping to automated and speed up a variety of tasks. But they also pose a gigantic security threat, particularly in documents downloaded from the internet.

The next time you download a Microsoft Office file, you’ll have one less thing to worry about, as Microsoft is blocking Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros by default in downloaded files.

Microsoft is planning to block VBA macros in Office. Any Office files downloaded from the internet will have macros blocked by default, in a security push.