Macro Recorders - Security Risks?

Factual Questions
1

System wide macro records, programs that allow you to automate frequently used tasks including starting various programs and even loging onto the internet. I know that early versions of windows OS ( 3 or 3.11?) started featuring macro recorders (system wide as opposed to the more limited forms in the windows office suite) but more internet ready OS’s (win95 and beyond) seemed to discontinue this type of utility. I can easily see where some aspects of a macro recorder could be a major security hole.

I have found several macro recorders, second party software utilities and have a few applications that make buying and using one an attractive option. My question is this, what security factors do I realistically need to factor into the “cost / benefit” analysis? If it makes a difference I have an always on internet connection, I am the only one with access to my comp and can’t imagine what I have on my HD that would be of value to anyone besides myself.

Thanks in advance. :slight_smile:

2

I think with WIN 9X you can pretty much achieve the same thing using a .BAT file?

What are you trying to do?

3

Thank you Sailor, I’ve heard of .BAT files (auto exec etc.) but know little about them. I’m a fairly competent consumer level user of computer tech, but not adverse to learning more. One of the things that make a macro recorder tempting is no real need for programming knowledge.

The one task that I would really love to automate isn’t on my computer, it’s on my parents. My mother keeps a computer for E-mail and Martha Stewart’s web site and my father tracks the stock market. He is however rather completely hopeless on the machine and more often than not (a few times a week) I get called to come over and help him with the Excell sheet I wrote for him. The up side is free home cooking but even still it gets a bit tedious.

Ideally the macro would, at the click of a desktop shortcut, log onto the net, download his AOL “My Portfolios,” start the proper Excell sheet and trigger the Excell macro that imports the data and sets up the printouts. This would make the entire task for my father, turn on computer and printer, double click the macro shortcut, wait till the printer stops and turn off comp and printer. I think he could handle that and I could reserve my visits for social calls.

4

Anything you can do from a command line you can just type it as a line in a .BAT file (create it with notepad) and it will execute. I used to have a video program which would crash the computer unless I changed some settings before starting it. Of course, I always forgot this, so I wrote a BAT file automating this.

I understand your situation but I am not sure what to recommend. First, while you might be able to achieve something like what you are saying, it may be more trouble than it’s worth. Things change continually and you will find yourself making changes to whatever you did to automate the tasks.

I have had a couple of old aunts of mine ask me similar things: They want to use a computer without the trouble of having to learn how to use a computer. I have told them both it is not worth the trouble and they can live without email. Let’s face it, people who put a lot of effort into learning about computers, still have trouble. I do not think it is realistic to expect someone to be able to use a computer without some learning. Too many things can go wrong at any time. Trying to automate too much for people like that generally doesn’t work because so many things can go wrong. The slightest change throws the whole thing out the window. It might be easier if you do all the downloading, processing etc, and then email it to him and he just prints it out.

Otherwise I would be more inclined to sit down with him and go over the procedure step by step and have him write it down as a list. That way, after a few times he would begin to actually understand what he is doing. I have used this approach with another aunt. Heer initial attitude was “I am too dumb for this, I can’t do it, it’s too difficult”. She gave up without trying. By making her do it step by step and take notes, after a few times she realized, it was not so difficult and she was not so dumb.

Some people just have a negative attitude. I had a cousin who just refused to learn and use some basic vocabulary and would call me saying things like “I hit the thingie and nothing happened” . What can I make of that? Even though I told her a hundred times, she refused to say “icon” and preferred “thingie”. I guess “icon” sounded too nerdy.

My attitude is that people can learn if the want to and, if they don’t want to, then they should not expect to be able to use the computer.

But going back to automating tasks, I have also found out my computer is much more stable and less prone to crashing if I start tasks one by one manually. If they all start together from a BAT file or from the startup folder, they seem to interfere with each other.

Anyway, some things you might want to think about as they may be helpful:
.BAT files
Java script (also an executable text file but can do much more than a simple BAT file)
Task scheduler
Macros in the Applications programs
VPN (Virtual Private Network) allows you to access the other computer over the Net like it is on your local network.

5

Batch (.BAT) files are not the same as macros. Batch files can only execute commands in DOS, while macros are supposed to send commands to any program under the OS. More like using pipes and rediects under Unix.

Anyway, the kind of risk involved depends on what info you supply to the macros. For example, if you use one to log on to the Net, then somebody else can do the same thing as long as they have the access to the machine.

6

another suggestion is to use a remote access application like VNC (available cross platforms) or Timbuktu Pro

Both allow you to login to the other computer and do the desired task. At least if nothing else it would save you the trouble of going there each time you are called.

You can find one distribution of VNC here:

http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/

and Timbuktu Pro here:

http://www.netopia.com/en-us/software/products/tb2/index.html

hope this offers another solution to your problem. :smiley: