Microsoft now limits XLM macros in Excel by default

Although many organizations still use Excel 4.0 (XLM) macros for automation activities, Microsoft has been encouraging a transition to the more secure Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) for a long time. This is because macros are often abused by malicious actors to inject malware into enterprise systems, so their continued use promotes a relatively accessible attack surface. Microsoft tried to address this issue to some extent by introducing runtime checks for XLM macro code in March 2021, and today, it's taking another step forward.

#Microsoft has now announced that it will restrict the use of XLM macros by default for customers using Excel. This is something the company had hinted at back in July 2021, and the change is now being rolled out publicly. By default, the Excel Trust Center option for using macros indicates that the language is disabled.

That said, IT admin organizations will apparently still be able to modify default behavior using Group Policy, Cloud Policy, and ADMX Policy, all of which are described in Microsoft's blog post.

The new default configuration is now rolling out for the following customers:

• Current Channel Build 2110 or later (first release in October)
• Monthly Enterprise Channel Build 2110 or later (first released in December)
• Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel (Preview) Build 2201 or later (we created this in January 2022, but first released in March 2022 Release)
• Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Build 2201 or later (will ship in July 2022)

In short, for the September fork version 16.0 .14527.20000 and above. IT admins can also choose to completely disable the use of existing and new XLM macros across their entire organization to enhance security, and if you're managing your organization's security, you should probably check out Microsoft's blog post here .

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