Because of the malicious ActiveX controls doing the rounds on the Internet today Microsoft developed a security system that verifies the signature of an ActiveX control. Though this is no guarantee that the control is safe, at least the original author can be traced.
ActiveX is a tool or a set of rules that directs a program how to function. It could be described as containing specifications that indicate how applications for windows should talk to each other. If anyone builds an ActiveX control, they can place it inside another application that understands how to host ActiveX controls. Many sites require you to download and use ActiveX controls, which lie around and clutter up the registry of the system. This slows down the system and it is important to clean up the registry from time to time. In order to do this you will need a registry cleaner. There are many freeware registry cleaners on the Internet. Download a free Registry cleaner for your system and clean up your registry.
How Do We use ActiveX Controls
When a browser detects ActiveX components embedded in the web page the browser refers to the 'CLASSID' in the webpage to determine if the required ActiveX controls are present in the computer system. If the controls are not present the browser will automatically download the controls. After you have finished with these controls they remain in your systems registry. A registry cleaner will cleanup the registry for you and speed up your system.
ActiveX Controls And Computer Security
Since ActiveX controls are written in VBScript they are programs and unlike java applets they can be designed with malicious intent. Unsuspecting users will download ActiveX controls from unknown sites fully trusting the content and end up with a whole lot of damage done to their system or lose data through online theft. This is the reason that Microsoft came out with the signature system for the ActiveX controls. This system lets a control designer digitally sign their controls with the help of an online signature authority. Later, when you visit a Web page that uses the control, your browser can verify that the person, who signed it, wrote the control. This does not guarantee that the control is safe, but at least you have some hope that you know who really wrote the control.
As you keep visiting web pages the pages may keep downloading these controls and clutter up your systems registry, which needs to be cleaned with registry cleaners in order to keep your system running efficiently. This is most important when someone copies a control from one Web site to another. The signature lets you know who the original author was. Usually, if the control has been signed digitally with this online security system Windows downloads the control automatically and if the control does not pass the security signature system the browser displays a warning message and gives the user the option to download the control at his or her discretion.
This is basically the main difference between signed and unsigned ActiveX controls.
