Why does MS Word open files in “Protected Mode”? Like is there really any threat for a “Protected Mode” to be needed?
In: 24
Yes.
Office files can have programs built into them. You can try writing these programs yourself, if you’re interested – they’re called macros.
Importantly, running unfamiliar programs is *really dangerous* for a computer. Like, all it takes is one error somewhere in the system that runs the program, and it can gain full control of that system.
And MS Office is notorious for being full of such errors, because it’s designed for working on files created by people you trust. All it takes, is you trusting one hacker (or one person who was a victim of a hacker), and you get hacked too. Hacking that first person can be as easy as tricking them. And there is no antivirus that can protect against humans getting tricked.
Giving Word this kind of automatic “safety switch” that completely prevents any program from running unless the user is absolutely sure it’s safe, is the simplest way to protect against this sort of hack.
And for a company, it’s often worth taking every kind of protection they can, from the simplest safety switch, to the most complex antivirus.
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