Microsoft’s ActiveX Axing: Good Riddance or Nostalgic Nightmare?
Microsoft is pulling the plug on ActiveX controls in Microsoft 365, blocking them entirely for better security. Users will need admin blessings and a Trust Center detour to re-enable. ActiveX, once the glue of corporate workflows, now risks being the sticky fingers opening doors to hackers. Goodbye, ActiveX, we hardly missed ye!
Hot Take:
Microsoft is finally giving ActiveX the boot, and I can almost hear the cheers from IT departments around the globe. Disabling ActiveX without a prompt? It’s like Microsoft is hanging up the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on malware hotel doors. ActiveX has been lurking around since the last century, and while nostalgia is great for vinyl records and classic rock, it has no place in modern cybersecurity. Time to let it go, Microsoft. It’s not you, it’s ActiveX.
Key Points:
- Microsoft 365 will now disable all ActiveX controls by default, no user prompt needed.
- ActiveX has been a security risk due to its deep system integration and ease of exploitation.
- ActiveX technology has historical roots in OLE and COM from the last century.
- Despite security concerns, backward compatibility keeps ActiveX lingering.
- Microsoft is gradually phasing out old technologies like ActiveX and VBScript.