As a result, when you open the workbook in Microsoft Excel, the code executes and accesses the database by using your credentials. The hacker does not have permissions to the database, but you do. The workbook contains code that pulls data from or pushes data to a database. When you open the presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint, the media object is played and in turn executes code that runs a malicious script that harms your computer.ĭata connections A hacker creates a workbook and sends it to you as an attachment in an email message. The presentation contains a media object, such as a sound, that is linked to an external server. Linked media A hacker sends you a presentation as an attachment in an email message.

For more information, see Block or unblock automatic picture downloads in email messages. This helps to protect against Web beacons that could otherwise capture your email address. Images in Outlook e-mail messages Microsoft Office has its own mechanism for blocking external content in messages. When you open the file, the image is downloaded and information about the file is beaconed back to the external server. Images A hacker sends a workbook or presentation for you to review that contains images. Types of Web beacons include the following: Web beacons send back, or beacon, information from your computer to the server that hosts the external content. Hackers can use external content as Web beacons. Some examples of external content are images, linked media, data connections, and templates. What is external content, and why are Web beacons a potential threat?Įxternal content is any content linked from the Internet or an intranet to a workbook or presentation.

NonCompressibleFiles 4.66 download