Back doors in code raise questions about security vulnerabilities If you have a suspicious mind, you might have figured all along that software vendors build back doors into their programs on purpose. If not, you have a nasty surprise coming. Even if every Web site was trustworthy, the applets seldom tell you exactly what they are going to do. Optional control Microsoft Corp., inventor of ActiveX, knew it could be abused, so it built ActiveX security controls into the Internet Explorer browser. You have the option of refusing all ActiveX controls and plug-ins.
Most users choose to be notified before such code runs so they have the option of blocking it.
If you've never turned this protection on, go to Tools, Internet Options, Security, Custom Level. But this is not always true. One tiny loophole might be big enough to drive a truck through. According to recent Web reports, some ActiveX code, especially the Install Engine Control, can get through Internet Explorer without asking permission first, as long as it carries a Microsoft signature. Another Microsoft software feature a lot of people aren't aware of was discovered quite a while ago.