[X4U] Consumer Reports

[keith_w]

Randy,  I have interspersed my replies within the message you sent me, 
below.

Randy B.Singer wrote:

> keith_w said:
> 
> 
>>>There are Microsoft macro viruses out there. Both for Word and Excel. 
>>>Some of these are very malicious.
>>
>>In light of which, I have a question.
>>I run Mac OS 10.3.9, and will be installing a brand new copy of MS 
>>Office 2004 in about a week.
>>Valid reason? My wife uses PC programs at work, and has decided she 
>>wants the ability to do some work-work on the home Mac.
>>So, back to having MS products on my Mac!  Sighhhh.


> There is no reason to have to justify the use of Microsoft Office.  
> Microsoft office products are the de facto standard among businesses.  
> They are also, IMHO, excellent products, no matter what you think of 
> Microsoft.  And the Mac versions are true Macintosh products, in some 
> ways better than the Windows versions.

Oh I realize that. I am not denigrating the Office products per se, it's 
a habit from my old days in the office. The MS products, in order to be 
everything to everybody, ended up with severe MS Bloat™.
(I found Word 5.1a just fine for my purposes, and wish they still 
offered a polished version of that very application! Sad, but I know 
they won't. Who would buy Word Lite?)
But, that's just ME.

My wife works in a major company that has international business 
dealings, also corresponding with multiple sites in the U.S. that all 
work in an MS Office atmosphere. They all regularly use every facet of 
the suite, and their correspondence would come to a grinding halt if 
they couldn't produce precisely rendered hard copies of all the stuff 
they talk about!
So, her need for MS Office at home is yet another tool, and no 
substitutes are acceptable.


>>Anyhow, first question is, must you be actually using a Word or Excel 
>>macro in order for the "macro virus/worm" to activate?
> 
> 
> Yes.  Unless you open an infected file in a Microsoft application, the 
> macro won't run.


>>If I use the various parts of MS Office bareback, no macros, etc., do I 
>>have to concern myself about viruses or worms?


> No, you don't.  All of the Word and Excel macro viruses that you might 
> encounter arrive in files that others send you, and they can't hurt you 
> if you don't let the embedded macros run.


>>If so, what's the least obtrusive solution that still works?
>>In your most humble opinion, of course!  <wink>


> In both Word and Excel, under Preferences, there is an option called 
> "Macro Virus Protection."  Enable that and when the program encounters a 
> macro it will block it and ask if you are sure if you want to run it.  If 
> you never allow a macro to run, you are 100% protected.

Yes, I do recall. I have a copy of Word 98 on my G4 Mac, under the OS9 
stuff.
I just went there, and found I had checked the box to inaugerate macro 
virus protection, so they even had it back then. Boy, what one forgets 
in a few years of not using it every day...

> The problem comes about if you receive a Word or Excel file from a 
> business associate, and it has an embedded macro that you didn't expect.  
> Without querying the associate,  you don't know if the macro is a macro 
> virus, or if it is important.  That's where having a good anti-viral 
> program can come in handy.  It can scan the file and tell you if the 
> macro is a macro virus, or if it is benign.  

I understand.

> So, it all depends if you will be exchanging Microsoft files with macros 
> in them in the course of your business.  If you never expect to see files 
> with macros in them, then just using the built-in macro virus protection 
> in the Word applications will completely protect you.  Otherwise, you may 
> want to have anti-virus software.

I do plan to avail myself of the built-in macro virus protection. and 
will also look to see which of the applications listed below might be 
suitable.

> http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;187243
> 
> http://www.bu.edu/computing/virus/macro-protection.html
> 
> 
> Randy B. Singer

Thanks for all your very kind words. I'll take them to heart!  <g>

keith whaley