Do digital signatures help?
A digital signature is something a software publisher can use to certify that the VBA code received by you has been unaltered since it left that publisher. For example, BrightCarbon digitally sign all of our automation solutions whether they’re a macro-enabled file or an add-in. By signing a file, the old and new message bar experiences can be bypassed once the publisher has been trusted, as alluded to in step 3 of this security flowchart from Microsoft:
Step 3 reads: If macro digitally signed and phone numbers in denmark trusted publisher on PC? If the answer is yes, Macros are enabled.
In what version of Microsoft Office did this change take place?
That’s a tricky question as Microsoft didn’t include it in their public release notes but it’s around the beta channel version 2205, build 15130. It may also have been implemented in the annual and semi-annual channels that get published after March 2022.
That’s great question and fortunately for you, Microsoft have published several articles aimed at explaining this change to various audiences:
General blog article announcing the change
The in-app “Learn More” article for users
A technical article for IT administrators
Information on Trusted Locations
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1) Although Microsoft have stated that this change does not affect add-ins we’ve seen a few cases where this isn’t true. Many add-ins are installed on Windows in this Microsoft-recommended folder:
This folder is a Trusted Location by default. Some add-in publishers, including BrightCarbon, install their add-ins in a subfolder to make it clear who’s files belong to who. Microsoft Office considers subfolders of the above trusted folder to be untrusted by default! You can change this in the respective Office app by clicking File / Options / Trust Center / Trust Center Settings / Trusted Locations and selecting the location that ends with Addins. Then click the Modify button followed by the Subfolders checkbox in step 4 below.