Security Issues

[eagletender]

I have several clients that I do templates and macros for in Office 2000/xp.
I am having a problem getting updates to them because of all the security
issues. I realize this is necessary, but I don't know what to do about it.

For the main startup template in Word, I use a routine that checks for an
update: vbe.vbprojects("xx template").vbcomponents.import, and it checks for
the existance of a file. However, my virus scanning software is eating my
templates up because it doesn't like this method; of course I can see why it
would be easy for anyone to do this with a virus macro.

How else can I provide automatic updates to my clients. Most of them I
email the file with the updates and they simply download it, or they can
download it from a webpage. That's a whole other story too, if I can't send
exe files, what can I do? Many of the clients don't know how to unzip
something themselves, so I either have to write a program that will install
the files (again I can't send the executable), or a file that unzips itself.

What's a person to do? I certainly don't want my clients to turn off their
virus software, I'm not even sure if some of them know how. It seems like
we can't do anything these days because some people have nothing better to
do than to cause problems!

Thanks.

 

[Jonathan West]

Hi eagletender

I have several clients that I do templates and macros for in Office 2000/xp.
I am having a problem getting updates to them because of all the security
issues. I realize this is necessary, but I don't know what to do about it.

For the main startup template in Word, I use a routine that checks for an
update: vbe.vbprojects("xx template").vbcomponents.import, and it checks for
the existance of a file. However, my virus scanning software is eating my
templates up because it doesn't like this method; of course I can see why it
would be easy for anyone to do this with a virus macro.

Exactly so. I would also be concerned about the same template having code
repeatedly added/updated. Such a system is liable to result in template
"bloat" and/or corruption resulting in invalid page faults when macros are
run. In other words, I think this is a very flaky way to approach this
problem.

How else can I provide automatic updates to my clients. Most of them I
email the file with the updates and they simply download it, or they can
download it from a webpage. That's a whole other story too, if I can't send
exe files, what can I do? Many of the clients don't know how to unzip
something themselves, so I either have to write a program that will install
the files (again I can't send the executable), or a file that unzips itself.

What's a person to do?

I'd suggest that you create an executable that acts as a self-extracting
archive and which installs replacement files in the correct locations. As
for getting the file to the customer, two fairly obvious options suggest
themselves

1. Upload the update to a website, and include a link in your email so they
can download it themselves.

2. Change the filename extension of the self-extracting archive from exe to
xex, and send it in that form by email, with instructions on how to rename
the file and run it on the customer's machine.

I have successfully used both techniques.

 

[eagletender]

Thanks so much, that's what I did; I haven't had any complaints yet.