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Why am I getting VBA Macro security warning when there are no Macr

Author
9 Jun 2009 6:07 PM
Magritte
Hi,

EVERY database I open produces the following error bar:

Security Warning    Certain content in the database has been disabled

When I click on Options... It says:

VBA Macro
Access has disabled potentially harmful content in this database.
....

It does list the database I opened as the offending one. The problem is this
occurs for every database I open. Every one was created by me, and none of
them have any VBA code (at least not that I added). So I understand what the
source of the error/warning is. I can either enable the content through the
Options button or close the warning keeping the content disabled, and the it
doesn't matter, since, as I mentioned, there's no VBA code in these databases.

There is an Acrobat Add-In installed by Acrobat 9 Pro. Might this be the
cause? Is there some way I can fix this?

Thanks!

Author
9 Jun 2009 6:30 PM
Chris O'C via AccessMonster.com
Add the folders you store your dbs in to your trusted locations.

Chris


Magritte wrote:

Show quoteHide quote
>EVERY database I open produces the following error bar:
>
>Security Warning    Certain content in the database has been disabled

>Is there some way I can fix this?

--
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Author
10 Jun 2009 5:26 PM
Magritte
"Chris O'C via AccessMonster.com" wrote:

> Add the folders you store your dbs in to your trusted locations.
>
> Chris

Thanks, that does remove the warning messages. However, it doesn't explain
why Access is giving me VBA warning messages for databases that don't contain
any VBA. Is this a known bug?

Thanks.
Author
10 Jun 2009 7:40 PM
Chris O'C via AccessMonster.com
It's not a bug.  It's a known placebo to calm the nerves of managers afraid a
virus will attack their networks.

If macro security is turned on, the function in Microsoft Office that checks
the file checks to see if it's digitally signed and trusted by the current
user.  If it is, the function compares the current checksum with the checksum
stored when the file was digitally signed.  (The checksum will change if the
file's been altered by a user modifying an object - as simple as renaming
something - or executing an action query, or if a virus has infected the file
and changed it.)

If the file fails any of these checks, the user is alerted not to trust the
file.

The function never reads the file to check if it contains vba code or a virus.
It's not that complex.

Managers think macro security will *prevent* a virus from attacking their
Office files or *detect* a virus in them, but at most macro security can only
detect if the file's been changed since it was digitally signed.  Very simple
events not caused by viruses infecting files can make those changes and very
often do.

Chris



Magritte wrote:
>it doesn't explain
>why Access is giving me VBA warning messages for databases that don't contain
>any VBA. Is this a known bug?


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