What is Macro Virus and How They Affect Computer Systems?

Pre-requisites: Virus, Types of Virus.

Hackers use various methods to attack computer systems, and one of the most dangerous among them is the virus. A virus is a type of malicious code that can cause harm to your computer in many ways. In this article we will discuss what is macro viruses and How do they affect computer systems?

What is Macro Virus?

Macro viruses is a malicious code specifically designed by the hacker or attacker using the macro language (A language that is used to build applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint). Macro viruses attach themselves to documents and spreadsheets, and when these files are opened or edited, they infect other documents as well. The dangerous thing about macro viruses is that they can infect any computer, regardless of the operating system it runs on. This means that whether your computer is running Windows, macOS, or Linux, it is vulnerable to a macro virus attack.

How Does Macro Virus Affect Computer Systems?

Hackers can inject a specific type of computer virus called a macro virus into spreadsheets and documents. When a user opens or edits these files, the macro virus enters the system and starts infecting the system, as well as other files stored on the system. The most dangerous thing about macro viruses is their ability to replicate as fast as possible. When a user views or edits a file infected with a macro virus, the virus starts to replicate and attach itself to other documents on the same computer. If these infected files are shared with other users, the virus can spread to their computers as well. Once a macro virus enters a computer system, it starts infecting the system and causing serious damage in various type of ways, such as deleting files, modifying documents, stealing data, and many more.

Macro viruses are difficult to find and delete because they’re written in a macro language(A language that is used to build applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) and can hide in files that seem safe. Additionally, many antivirus programs may not detect macro viruses because they’re not exactly viruses. Instead, they are categorized as malware or Trojan horses.

Preventive Measures

Users must take some security measures to protect themselves from macro viruses. The following list contains some of the most important security measures:

1. It is very important to back up data regularly to reduce the risk of data loss.
2. Take precautions when opening email attachments from unknown senders.
3. Avoid downloading files from unreliable sources, such as .zip and .rar files, because these files may contain malicious programs hidden by attackers. Get software and files from reputable, verified sources only.
4. Use an effective and up-to-date security suite and antivirus software to protect your device or computer from all known and unknown threats. 
5. To protect against recently disclosed vulnerabilities, keep your software and operating system up to date, and enable macro security settings in Microsoft Office applications to prevent macros from running without permission.