Microsoft steps up ActiveX security

By Robert Lemos
Staff Writer, CNET News

Microsoft on Monday pointed developers to two security guides to help companies create and use more secure software components after a number of critics took the company to task for common flaws in ActiveX components. ActiveX allows Web site developers to add interactivity by executing software components on a PC. Flaws in the components, however, can be abused by online vandals to take control of a person's computer.

"An ActiveX control can be an extremely insecure way to provide a feature," Microsoft stated on its site. One guide discussed how to design a secure ActiveX component, while another detailed how to use Microsoft's SiteLock security software to make ActiveX more secure.

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