Microsoft introduced ActiveX in 1996 during Windows 95 days. So, in technological terms, it’s ancient. Redmond designed it as a developer framework, allowing users to embed interactive objects into Windows applications and Internet Explorer. However, ActiveX eventually became a security threat that the tech giant’s engineers are understandably t
rying to remove.
Despite being nearly 30 years old, Microsoft still supports ActiveX in Windows. Microsoft deprecated the technology long ago, but some of the most popular Win32 applications use it. Cybercriminals also love ActiveX, so Microsoft is taking measures to reduce the attack surface provided by the controversial framework.
The Microsoft 365 Admin Center recently published a warning that developers would soon disable ActiveX controls in Office applications by default. The change will affect Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio. The target date for Office 2024 is October 2024, while Microsoft 365 apps have until April 2025.
Microsoft plans to release the next stand-alone upgrade for Office 2024 this year. The suite’s default configuration setting for ActiveX objects will now change from “Prompt me before enabling all controls with minimal restrictions” to “Disable all controls without notification.”
