Macro Virus

Categories: Econ

If you’ve ever played with “macros” in Excel or another program, that’s the kind of “macro” we’re referring to when talking “macro virus.” Macros in Excel are like little auto-scripts you can write. All you need is a trigger, and then you tell it what you want the macro to do as the result of that trigger.

Macro viruses are viruses that work in the same way. Written in that same macro programming language, really bored or well-paid or not-paid-elsewhere folk can make macro viruses that do things like execute a bunch of horrible stuff on your computer once you click that link. You may want to warn Grandma.

Macro viruses are why you shouldn’t click the link in that sketchy email claiming you won a trip to Bermuda, or that text claiming to have some embarrassing pics of you. If you click and open one of these files, it can begin to run a macro, which can do all kinds of unspeakable things to your technological devices. The worst part is that you might not even know anything happened until later, if it’s an especially sneaky macro virus.

Resist the urge to click.

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