Word 2007: The Missing Manual

Chapter 18. Changing Your Security Settings

Microsoft has a bad reputation when it comes to computer security. Granted, one of Word’s advantages is that the program is an open book for programmers who want to create add-ins and macros (mini-programs that run within Word). These tools make Word even more useful for the rest of us. Unfortunately, it’s also easy for programmer thugs to use the same tools to foul up people’s computers, steal information, and generally cause havoc. With Office 2007, Microsoft has taken steps to make your computer more secure. This chapter shows you how to use the features that make the world safer for you and your Word documents.

Since Microsoft takes a multifaceted approach to computer security, so does this chapter. First, you learn how to create your own digital signature to prove your authorship of a document. Even more important, you learn how to check out the digital signatures attached to documents provided by others. Then, a tour of Microsoft’s Trust Center explains how keeping a list of Trusted Publishers and Trusted Locations protects you from malicious macros and add-ins. To wrap it all up, you get tips on how to protect your privacy when you share your documents with others.

Tip

You don’t have to be a programmer—good or evil—to write macros. You can create macros in Word without writing a single line of code. The next chapter explains how.

Using Digital Signatures

Just like a handwritten signature, a digital signature verifies the source of ...