How to Prevent Web Connections from Excel?

[Will]

I have a spreadsheet with some kind of embedded code that is connecting to a
web site. Is there any way to configure Excel 2003 globally to either
forbid network connections from inside Excel, or to at least prompt you
every time such a connection is requested?

 

[challa prabhu]

Hi

Cancel the display of a Web page or hyperlink


If the Web toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to
carry out commands. To display a toolbar, click Customize on the Tools menu,
and then click the Toolbars tab.) is not displayed, point to Toolbars on the
View menu, and then click Web.
On the Web toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to
carry out commands. To display a toolbar, click Customize on the Tools menu,
and then click the Toolbars tab.), click Stop .

Note The Stop button is only available when you open or go to a file
located on the Web or your company's intranet (intranet: A network within an
organization that uses Internet technologies (such as the HTTP or FTP
protocol). By using hyperlinks, you can explore objects, documents, pages,
and other destinations on the intranet.)— not when you open or go to a file
on your hard disk or the network.

Challa Prabhu

 

[Will]

I don't understand how that is really an answer. First, the connection
that is being made is silent. There must be VBA code that is sending a
heartbeat to the person who sent the spreadsheet, maybe as a way of tracking
who is reading it. So there is no web page for me to "cancel" to "stop" or
to use any kind of ordinary web control (e.g., "Back"). Second, my
question is how do I FORBID network connections, not how do I prevent
recurrence or furtherance of the connection after it is already made.

Excel should have a firm policy restriction that as an option globally
prevents any Internet connection by a particular spreadsheet. Ideally it
would prompt you for disabling access when you load each file.