EXCEL VBA QUERY BROKEN BY MICROSOFT ERROR blocked access to "https:// .... " because the source uses a sign-in that may be unsecure.

Question

Note; child tag = other because all are affected. used to use vba to sign in and extract info on well production which we have interest in. This is a government site and requires sign in the first time, which we do. since the new year jan 1 , 2024, then was fixed for a time then broke again, get the message 'Microsoft Office has blocked access to" https// ..." (here it list the state site that the production data is obtained from) because the source uses a sign-in method that may be unsecure . We recommend contacting IT support to discuss how to make this file more secure.'

Microsoft please note that you are not going to tell the government to change it's site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is of no use or help other than to say "NO, we are not going to let you use the site" This breaks office and makes it useless.

Must be able to access sites that we "know" are safe government sites to get our job done.

How to overcome this problem? Help basically said IT could use the group policy to list it as a safe site, however this does not work either? Editing the registry to add the site as a trusted site does not work either. you must know that any software that is used to get data from a URL site must have the ability to determine if the site is safe and not just assume it is not. There must be an override. Please fix this.

Answer 1

To address the issue of Microsoft Office blocking access to certain URLs due to security concerns, you can consider the following steps:

1. Trusted Sites Configuration: Ensure that the government site you are trying to access is added to the Trusted Sites list in Internet Options. This can be done through the Control Panel > Internet Options > Security tab > Trusted Sites > Sites. Make sure to also uncheck the option "Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone" if you're adding sites that use http.
2. Group Policy Settings: If you are in an organizational environment, your IT department can use Group Policy to manage how Office handles macros and trusted sites. They can set the "Site to Zone Assignment List" policy to include the URL of the site you are trying to access. This policy is found under Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Internet Control Panel\Security Page in the Group Policy Management Console.
3. Mark of the Web: When files are downloaded from the internet, they may have a Mark of the Web that can prevent macros from running. If the file has this mark, you can remove it by right-clicking the file, selecting Properties, and then checking the "Unblock" option in the General tab.
4. VBA Macro Settings: Check the macro settings in Excel under File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Macro Settings. Ensure that the settings allow macros to run from trusted locations.
5. Contact IT Support: If these steps do not resolve the issue, it may be necessary to escalate the problem to your IT support team for further assistance, as they may need to adjust security settings or policies specific to your organization.

These measures should help in allowing access to the required government site while maintaining security protocols.

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References:

• Guidance on allowing VBA macros to run in files you trust
• Use policies to manage how Office handles macros
• Additional information about Mark of the Web
• This designer cannot be used because it uses features that are not supported in this version of Visual Basic
• Cannot jump to specified type because it is in the specified library, which is not currently referenced
• Office VBA support and feedback
• Unblock-File