Like other Microsoft Office system applications, Outlook 2007 allows you to use macros to automate common tasks. Macros have become an increasingly popular infection mechanism for viruses because most inexperienced users don’t expect to have their systems infected by the sort of Office documents they regularly work with. However, Office macros can contain viruses that cause just as much damage as any other virus. Protecting yourself against macro viruses is an important step in safeguarding your system overall.

You can guard against macro viruses by implementing a virus scanner on your computer that checks your documents for macro viruses, by installing an antivirus solution on your e‑mail server, or by using both methods. Another line of protection is to control how and when macros are allowed to run. Outlook 2007 provides four security levels for macros that determine which macros can run on the system. To set the level, in Outlook 2007, choose Tools, Macro, Security, and then select one of these levels: