Re: Is Active X safe?

[Booth Martin <booth@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Make sense, you ask?  It did right up to the last sentence.  Then I got 
that confused look again.

Isn't there a setting to allow ActiveX with yes or no for an answer?   I 
don't see it as being a site-by site choice?

Scott Klement wrote:
> Hi Booth,
>
> > This is not clear enough for me Walden.  What websites would you run
> > from?  Any?  Some? All?  How do we decide the good guys from the bad?
>
> It's a program. It's no different than downloading and running an EXE 
> from a web site. Whomever wrote the EXE can do pretty much anything he/she 
> wants.
>
> For example, you could write a program in VARPG (since I know you use 
> that) that deletes all of the files from the C:\Windows directory, thus 
> causing problems on the comptuer running it.   You could put that program 
> up on your web site and say "Download this! It's really cool" and people 
> might download and run it...  Causing damage without them even knowing 
> what it would do.
>
> You could do the same thing with an ActiveX control, as well.
>
> Of course, you'd never do that.  You're an honest guy.  So, if I saw an 
> ActiveX control on your site, it'd probably be okay for me to install it. 
> Likewise, I could probably trust IBM.  Or Microsoft.  Or my bank (assuming 
> i've verified it's not phishing), etc.
>
> But if I'm browsing someone's site who I don't know, and I don't have any 
> real reason to trust them, I shouldn't just install any ActiveX control 
> they ask me to.
>
> Make sense?