Can you get a virus from a Word document?

Use caution when downloading documents and templates attached to emails. They might contain macros-related viruses, which are designed to infect files like Microsoft Word documents. Once you download and open the attachment, the infection will spread, embedding itself in other documents on your computer.

Why are my Word documents opening in Protected View?

Files from the Internet and other potentially unsafe sources can contain viruses or malware that can harm your computer or compromise sensitive data. To reduce the risk of malware attacks from Internet files, Word opens the document in Protected View. This way you can view the document while reducing the risk.

How do I get a word document out of protected view?

Step 1: Start Word, click File and then choose Options. Step 2: Click Trust Center and then Trust Center Options. Step 3: Click Protected View, then disable (uncheck) all three of the options listed there. Step 4: Click OK and you’re done!

Are .DOC files safe?

Yes, the . doc file (Microsoft Word Document) may contain macros. The new file format, . docx, does not contain any macros and is considered safe.

Can a Word file be malicious?

Yes. Word documents can contain Macro viruses but, by default, macros are always disabled in documents.

Can a DOCX file contain malware?

Microsoft Office files, especially Word documents (DOC, DOCX), Excel spreadsheets (XLS, XLSX, XLSM), presentations, and templates, are also popular with cybercriminals. These files can contain embedded macros — small programs that run inside the file. Cybercriminals use macros as scripts for downloading malware.

How do I turn off Protected View in Outlook?

From the options, menu select Trust Center > Trust Center Settings. Go to the Protected View tab in the trust center and then uncheck the bottom box titled Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments. Click OK to save changes and apply.

Can opening a Word document be harmful?

1 Answer. Theoretically any file can be a security risk if opened in an application, be it via malicious macros, be it via being tampered with to cause buffer overflows, be it somehow else. Practically Pages can’t run Word macros so opening Word documents in Pages should be safe.

Can malware be hidden in a Word document?

Macro malware hides in Microsoft Office files and is delivered as email attachments or inside ZIP files. Macro malware was fairly common several years ago because macros ran automatically whenever a document was opened. In recent versions of Microsoft Office, macros are disabled by default.

Is PDF or DOCX safer?

PDF’s can be locked to prevent editing. Docx can be protected. html – not so much. Sure, there are ways of getting round even the best copy protection, up to and including taking screenshots or even dictating the comment, but protecting PDF’s pretty much works.