When you receive a file with an ActiveX control linked to it, whether there may be "persisted" data (data stored with the ...

When you receive a file with an ActiveX control linked to it, whether there may be "persisted" data (data stored with the control) is unknown. Such data can be malicious (used to plant a virus or to modify your computer with the intent to do harm). Office programs provide, by default, the ability to block ActiveX controls from using persisted data. However, if you have specifically changed the default setting for ActiveX initialization during the installation process or by using a policy, the system will perform the initialization of the ActiveX control based on your custom settings.