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ParanoidMike — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:51:00 GMT

Resource Page Description
The ActiveX "killbit" has been in the security news lately, and I've always been mystified by how the 'killbit' works. Then I read an article in one of Microsoft's blogs that went into great detail about the ActiveX "killbit" and how it's actually configured and used (http://blogs.technet.com/swi/archive/2008/02/06/The-Kill_2D00_Bit-FAQ_3A00_-Part-1-of-3.aspx). And even further, Robert McLaws' blog article "IE8 and "Killbits'" (http://www.windows-now.com/blogs/robert/ie8-and-killbits.aspx) gave me the incentive to think of this as more than just a propellerhead problem.

Once I had that information in hand, and mostly because I was looking for a new challenge for my growing coding skills, I decided to write a .NET GUI app that would allow me to see which ActiveX controls had been "killbit'ed" (as well as explore all those ActiveX controls that were candidates for the "killbit").

I've left room in the application to be able to enable editing of the killbit (turning it on for additional controls, as well as *potentially* turn it off for already-"killbit'ed" controls), but in its initial form it's just a read-only exploration tool.

If you like it, and would like it to be enhanced in some way, let me know by posting a new Discussion or Issue in the project space. If you'd like more details on how it was constructed, ask away and I'll post explanations as answers (and as a way to document it as well).

KillBit Resources

The Kill-Bit FAQ: Part 1 of 3
The Kill-Bit FAQ: Part 2 of 3
The Kill-Bit FAQ: Part 3 of 3
Knowledge Base article 240797: How to stop an ActiveX control from running in Internet Explorer
MS Security Advisory - Update Rollup for ActiveX Kill Bits (2009-02)
IE Security Update Impact to Security and Compatibility
We are NOT Killbit-ing MSXML4! - one of the most visible killbit controversies in recent memory...
Recent Killbit update from Microsoft

UPDATED WIKI: Home

ParanoidMike — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:05:28 GMT

KillBit Resources

The Kill-Bit FAQ: Part 1 of 3
The Kill-Bit FAQ: Part 2 of 3
The Kill-Bit FAQ: Part 3 of 3
Knowledge Base article 240797: How to stop an ActiveX control from running in Internet Explorer
MS Security Advisory - Update Rollup for ActiveX Kill Bits (2009-02)
IE Security Update Impact to Security and Compatibility
We are NOT Killbit-ing MSXML4! - one of the most visible killbit controversies in recent memory...

UPDATED WIKI: Home

ParanoidMike — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:43:48 GMT

Resource Page Description
The ActiveX "killbit" has been in the security news lately, and has always mystified me. Then I read an article in one of Microsoft's blogs that went into great detail about the ActiveX "killbit" and how it's actually configured and used (http://blogs.technet.com/swi/archive/2008/02/06/The-Kill_2D00_Bit-FAQ_3A00_-Part-1-of-3.aspx).

Once I had that information in hand, and mostly because I was looking for a new challenge for my growing coding skills, I decided to write a .NET GUI app that would allow me to see which ActiveX controls had been "killbit'ed" (as well as explore all those ActiveX controls that were candidates for the "killbit").

I've left room in the application to be able to enable editing of the killbit (turning it on for additional controls, as well as *potentially* turn it off for already-"killbit'ed" controls), but in its initial form it's just a read-only exploration tool.

If you like it, and would like it to be enhanced in some way, let me know by posting a new Discussion or Issue in the project space. If you'd like more details on how it was constructed, ask away and I'll post explanations as answers (and as a way to document it as well).

KillBit Resources

The Kill-Bit FAQ: Part 1 of 3
The Kill-Bit FAQ: Part 2 of 3
The Kill-Bit FAQ: Part 3 of 3
Knowledge Base article 240797: How to stop an ActiveX control from running in Internet Explorer
IE Security Update Impact to Security and Compatibility
We are NOT Killbit-ing MSXML4! - one of the most visible killbit controversies in recent memory...