Security News > 2022 > July > That didn’t last! Microsoft turns off the Office security it just turned on
![That didn’t last! Microsoft turns off the Office security it just turned on](/static/build/img/news/that-didnt-last-microsoft-turns-off-the-office-security-it-just-turned-on-medium.jpg)
It's demanding a return to the freewheeling days of the last millennium, when Office macro viruses didn't face the trials and tribulations that they do today.
Worst of all, perhaps, an infected document could implant macros into the global template, thus infecting the computer, and the same macros could copy themselves back out again.
Although this helped to kill off self-spreading macro viruses, it didn't prevent macro malware in general.
Administrators can block macros altogether in Office files that came from outside the network, so that users can't click to allow macros to run in files received via email or downloaded the web, even if they want to.
At last, in February 2022, Microsoft announced, to sighs of collective relief from the cybersecurity community, that it was planning to turn on the "Inhibit macros in documents that arrived from the internet" by default, for everyone, all the time.
Regardless of the default setting, customers can block internet macros through the Group Policy settings described in the article Block macros from running in Office files from the Internet.
News URL
Related news
- Microsoft's Brad Smith summoned by Homeland Security committee over 'cascade' of infosec failures (source)
- Google takes shots at Microsoft for shoddy security record with enterprise apps (source)
- Pirated Microsoft Office delivers malware cocktail on systems (source)
- Azure Service Tags tagged as security risk, Microsoft disagrees (source)
- Microsoft shows venerable and vulnerable NTLM security protocol the door (source)
- Microsoft delays Windows Recall amid privacy and security concerns (source)
- Microsoft Delays AI-Powered Recall Feature for Copilot+ PCs Amid Security Concerns (source)
- Microsoft delays Windows Recall rollout, more security testing needed (source)
- Microsoft answered Congress' questions on security. Now the White House needs to act (source)
- Microsoft: New Outlook security changes coming to personal accounts (source)