- 29 Şub 2020
- 538
- 575
What is Macro Virus?
Macro viruses insert their code into macros associated with documents, spreadsheets, and other data files. The first macro virus, called Concept, appeared in July 1995, after which macro viruses (which mostly infect Word documents) became the dominant virus strain until the turn of the new century. At that time, Microsoft disabled macros by default in Office (versions after Office 2000). Since then, cybercriminals have had to try to trick victims into enabling macros in order for their infected macros to work.
How Do Macro Viruses Spread?
Macro viruses are often found embedded in documents or added to word processing programs in the form of malicious code. It can come from documents attached to emails, or the code can be downloaded after clicking "phishing" links in ad banners or URLs. They are difficult to detect, as they do not become active until the time an infected macro runs and executes a series of commands. A macro virus is similar to a Trojan virus in that it can appear beneficial and users are not immediately aware of its ill effects. However, unlike Trojans, macro viruses can replicate themselves and infect other computers.
Risks
The main risk of macroviruses is that they can spread rapidly. After running an infected macro, other documents on the user's computer are infected. Some of these viruses cause anomalies in text documents, such as missing or inserted words, while others access email accounts and send copies of infected files to everyone in a user's contact list; then these files are opened and accessed because they come from a trusted source.
These viruses may also be designed to delete or compromise stored data. In addition, it is important to note that macro viruses are cross-platform; they can infect both Windows and Mac computers using the same code. Programs that use macros can act as hosts, and the copy of the infected program sent via email, stored on disk or USB drive, contains viruses.
To remove these viruses, users should use security software that provides specialized macro virus detection and removal tools. Regular scans clean infected documents and ensure that no new computer viruses are downloaded.
Have a nice day