Microsoft stops blocking Office VBA macros by default

Microsoft is rolling out a planned change to block Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros by default in many Office applications. Announced earlier this year, Microsoft planned to prevent Office users from easily enabling certain content in files downloaded from the internet including macros, in order to improve security against malicious files. . Microsoft has been testing this change before it is expected to roll out to all Microsoft 365 users in June.

The announcement from Microsoft 365 reads, "We appreciate the feedback we've received so far, and we're working to improve this experience." BleepingComputer reports that Microsoft notified IT admins last week that it is rolling back the VBA macro block based on feedback from Office users testing the changes.

The unusual rollback came as a surprise to some Microsoft 365 users, as many have waited years for Microsoft to be more aggressive in blocking macros from Office files. Hackers have frequently targeted Office documents with malicious macros, and Office often prompts users to click to trigger the macro to run with a simple button. Microsoft's planned changes mean that Office users will only be able to enable macros by specifically ticking an unblock option on a file's properties.

Those extra steps have obviously not been well received by some users. “Another terrible Microsoft update idea,” one commented on Microsoft's initial announcement, and others criticized how difficult it was for end users to enable macros. Others are surprised that Microsoft is rolling back changes without effectively informing IT admins that the company is redoing the VBA macro block. Many IT admins prepare users for macro changes, as it is a change that requires user training.

“Based on the feedback received, the recovery process has begun,” said Angela Robertson, lead group product manager for Microsoft 365. I apologize for any inconvenience the rollback process started before the changelog was updated.” Microsoft has yet to explain what improvements it is planning to make to the VBA macro block or when it will deploy again.

Source: https://www.theverge.com