Are you still running Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 on computer ? If so, there are at least two reasons why you shouldn't.
The first reason is that Microsoft has not supported this version since 2017.This means that it no longer releases updates to fix bugs. Therefore, any vulnerability that may appear is not addressed.
The second reason was recently revealed. The US CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) conducted an investigation that showed the dangerous way in which Office for Mac 2011 handles a forgotten macro format (XML)when embedded in SYLK (SYMBOL LINK), a Microsoft file format used for exchanging data (mainly spreadsheets).
Many users may not have heard of either format. After all, there are many forgotten formats from the past, which are still supported in today's software. Hackers often take advantage of users and use these formats to carry out attacks.
Last year, some Dutch researchers reported that the SYLK .slk file format could be used to infect Mac computers.
Despite the researchers' warning, Office did not send security alerts to users when they tried to open a file that had this format .
Additionally, in Office for Mac 2011, all macros are disabled by default. This could allow an attack that exploits the XML format within .slk files to go unnoticed
A solution would be to enable all macros or disable them after a notification appears, which stops the automatic execution of macros but informs the user each time they need to intervene.
Many would think that automatically disabling all macros (i.e. without notifying the user) would be the safest solution. However, in this case, disabling macros with a notification is the only option that warns of the presence of a malicious XML / SYLK file.
