Microsoft will disable Office VBA macros by default

Microsoft announced that VBA (Visual Basic for Application) macros will be disabled by default in Office applications. This change will apply to files for Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio applications that contain macros and downloaded from the Internet, which were made to prevent the spread of malware.

Office applications such as Excel can run scripts and use “active content” to automate various processes and retrieve data from external sources. The problem is that when running macros from untrusted sources, it’s impossible to tell exactly what they downloaded and what actions were taken after that. In the past, Microsoft has integrated a pop-up message into Office alerting the user of acknowledging the security issue associated with macros and requiring additional confirmation before running the macro.

It will be implemented in April 2022

The software giant will technically only block macros downloaded from the internet. At the same time, macros from trusted sources with a digital signature and security certificate will continue to be loaded. Also, the macro will be considered trustworthy if the user has already opened this file and selected the “Include content” option in the popup message. Microsoft enterprise customers, on the other hand, will be able to manage macros using the Group Policy feature.

According to current data, the innovation in question will appear in Office 365 in April 2022. Later on, Office LTSC will affect Office 2021, Office 2019, Office 2016 and Office 2013.