Infect your computer with additional malware. Send files and emails to others - this is how they spread from one victim to the next.
Make unwanted changes to your files, like deleting or changing content and adding images.
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Because macro viruses are built with the same macro languages that your software uses, they can affect apps as well as files.
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Once a macro virus is executed on your computer, it can deliver its payload, the portion of its code that carries out the attack. Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are particularly vulnerable to macro viruses. Popular programs that use macros heavily include Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other apps in the Microsoft Office suite. What programs are most affected by macro viruses?Īny widely used program that uses macros will be particularly vulnerable to macro viruses. That’s why it’s important to never open email attachments you receive from people you don’t know or trust. Inserting physical media, like a flash drive or CD, that contains an infected file. Opening an infected attachment, such as one in a phishing email.ĭownloading infected files from a network.ĭownloading an infected file from a malicious pharming website or P2P file-sharing service. Here are some common ways to get a macro virus on your device: Many macro viruses spread as infected email attachments, while others spread across networks, through infected downloads, or through physical media like USB flash drives. But unlike Trojans, they can self-replicate and spread to other victims once activated.
Macro viruses are similar to Trojans in that they trick victims into installing them. If you have the targeted program on your computer, the virus can infect it. If you open a document infected with a Microsoft Word virus, and if macros are enabled on your computer, Word will execute the malicious macro just as it would any other, but with potentially harmful consequences.īecause they work within programs, not operating systems, macros viruses can affect both PCs and Macs. How does a macro virus work?Ī macro virus works by using the programming language of a macro to fool a program into executing it. Along with ransomware, spyware, and other types of malware, macro viruses - especially MS Office viruses - can severely threaten you or your organization. When you open a file infected with a macro virus, the software executes the malicious macro as though it were a normal one. In Excel, people use macros to perform calculations and autofill spreadsheets.Ī macro virus takes advantage of this automated system by disguising itself as a normal macro. A simple Microsoft Word macro might insert a table. By automatically performing a given procedure, macros simplify complex processes and make things more convenient.
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