The ActiveX control might then change passwords, access confidential data, install malware or carry out any number of other operations. If the phishing campaign is successful, the users will trust the site and install the control with little thought. For example, an organization's users might be the target of a phishing campaign that directs them to a malicious website, where they're prompted to install an ActiveX control. All it takes is a few simple clicks, which can make them susceptible to a range of attacks. Under the right circumstances, an ActiveX control can gain almost unlimited access to the underlying system and even to network resources, depending on the user's level of access.ĪctiveX controls are easy for users to install. However, they aren't used much these days because they pose many security risks. Over the years, ActiveX controls have been implemented to support web applications. By using reuseable components, application developers cut the time required for program development and improve the capabilities and quality of their program. Visual Basic and C++ are often used to write ActiveX controls.Īn ActiveX control is implemented as a dynamic link library module that runs in a container. Developers can build an ActiveX control in programming languages that work with Microsoft's COM. ActiveX controls replaced the earlier Object Linking and Embedding, known as OCX, custom-level controls.Īn ActiveX control is roughly equivalent in concept and implementation to the Java applet.
These technologies are based on the Component Object Model (COM), an interoperability standard for building reusable software libraries that can interact at runtime. What do ActiveX controls do?ĪctiveX controls are part of Microsoft's overall ActiveX technology. The IE Tab add-in makes it possible to use ActiveX controls within Chrome. This is a Chrome extension that displays webpages using IE. One example is the Google Chrome browser, which offers the IE Tab add-in.
By using ActiveX controls, developers can implement commonly performed operations across many applications without having to redevelop the code for each instance.ĪctiveX controls are supported in other ways. For instance, a developer might add an ActiveX control to a Word document that lets users fill out a form in the document. In addition to web applications, other types of Windows applications - such as Microsoft Word and Excel - can use ActiveX controls.
Users could also work with ActiveX to view PDF files through the browser or to support Flash animations. For example, ActiveX controls were used early on to allow users to play videos and other multimedia content directly through the browser without having to open a media player. Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting.ĪctiveX controls can serve a wide variety of purposes. Scroll down to ActiveX controls and plugins and click Enable for: Run ActiveX controls and plugins.How do you turn on ActiveX on Internet Explorer? Sure, install the Flash Player ActiveX control – but if you’re browsing the web an a website wants to install an ActiveX control, you should probably decline the offer. In summary, ActiveX controls are dangerous and you should only install them if you need to do so and trust the source.
Mozilla’s Firefox browser is a popular alternative to Internet Explorer. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is the only browser that fully supports ActiveX controls and plug-ins. Firefox uses plugins to view and use multimedia content in web pages, and extensions to add new functions.ĪctiveX is Microsoft proprietary software that allows your Internet browser to display and interact with certain documents and websites. How do I enable Initialize and script ActiveX controls in Firefox?įor Mozilla browsers, select Edit > Preferences > Advanced > Scripts & Plug-ins, and enable the Enable JavaScript for Navigator option.įirefox does not support “ActiveX” because: * “ActiveX” is just available on Windows, so pages that use “ActiveX” will not work on Linux or Macintosh, which are both supported by Firefox.
You can find and install extensions for Firefox for Android from or from the browser’s Add-ons Manager. Currently, you cannot install extensions directly from. You can find and install extensions for Firefox for Android in the browser’s Add-ons Manager.