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Killbit is a term that refers to a security feature in Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browsers. A killbit instructs the browser to never use a specific piece of ActiveX control software whether third-party or Microsoft, identifying it by a number.

The main purpose of a killbit is to close security holes. If a vendor discovers that there is a security hole in a specific version of an ActiveX control, they can request that Microsoft put out a "killbit" for it. Killbit updates are typically deployed to Microsoft Windows operating systems via Windows Update.

A killbit is a flag in the Windows Registry that marks a GUID as being unsafe. The GUID acts as a serial number for the software in question - a unique GUID must exist for each potential piece of software that behaves as an ActiveX control. If Internet Explorer finds that the GUID of a killbit entry matches the GUID of the software, then the software cannot be run by Internet Explorer. If a vendor wants to release an updated version, they release it with a different GUID.

Microsoft Office also makes use of killbits to determine if an object embedded within a document may be loaded.

References[]

External links[]

  1. Microsoft KB240797: How to stop an ActiveX control from running in Internet Explorer (August 24, 2007)
  2. Microsoft Technet: The Kill-Bit FAQ
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