MACRO

MACRO

A macro (short for “macro command”) is a sequence of commands that are intended to be played automatically instead of being launched individually by the user. In ISS, the term most often refers to the macro commands embedded in Microsoft Office documents. This functionality, while legitimate, has long been abused by cybercriminals to allow control of the user’s machine when a booby-trapped Office document is opened. Microsoft Office macro commands are no longer enabled by default, and the user must authorize them themselves in order for them to run. This is most often done through a form of social engineering (see “social engineering”), such as a message indicating that the document is protected and that it is necessary to enable the macro commands to access its content.

For the anti-pimping squad, on the other hand, macros do not command.