An update for the open source cross-platform office suite LibreOffice is now available. LibreOffice 24.8 is available for all supported systems.
The new version includes over a hundred improved or new features. Several are important from a security point of view.
The details:
- An option to disable active content and OLE automation is now available.
- Improved WebDAV/HTTP UCP authentication with Microsoft SharePoint.
- Improved CMIS UCP authentication with Microsoft SharePoint.
- Option to remove personal information on saving.
- ODF Wholesome Encryption is now available. It improves tamper and brute-force resistance, offers improved performance, and improved hiding of metadata.
Several of these options are interesting from an end-users point of view. The ability to disable active content improves security, as it prevents attacks that exploit these options.
Here is how you enable it:
- Open Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Security > Security Options and Warnings > Options-button.
- Check “Disable active contents from OLE Objects, DDE and OLE Automation”.
Note: this may impact documents that rely on these technologies.
Here, you may also enable the removal of personal information on saving.
Check “remove personal information on saving” and then what you do not want included. This is supported at the time of writing:
- Changes information.
- Document user information.
- Author name and date of notes.
- Document version information.
- Printer settings.
You can check out the full changelog on the official Document Foundation website.
The latest version is available for download already. You can download it from the official website or from within LibreOffice by selecting Help > Check for Updates.
Do you use LibreOffice or another Office program? What is your take on the new security features? Feel free to leave a comment down below.
And yet people still pay for M.$, what’s it called now? Whatever, the software is they sell, a subscription right?
/rolleyes
Been using LibreOffice happily for several years, and OpenOffice before that. It’s slightly slower than M$ Office (most noticeable when opening the app on older hardware), but easily good enough for the vast majority of users.
The one place I don’t recommend LibreOffice is if you’re doing presentations for clients at PowerPoint-equipped offices. LibreOffice Impress presentations are not always 100% compatiible with PowerPoint. In this situation, bring your own hardware or else hold your nose and develop the presentation in MS.