The Kill-Bit FAQ ( Part 1 of 3 )

It is very common for Microsoft security bulletins to include “Kill-Bits” to disable individual ActiveX controls / COM objects. Here is the first part of a three-part FAQ we have developed to answer some questions around the Kill-Bit and related functionality.

The Kill-Bit (a.k.a. “killbit”) is not actually a bit. The Kill-Bit is a registry entry for a particular CLSID that marks the COM object / ActiveX control referenced by that CLSID as non-loadable in the browser and other scriptable environments. Microsoft releases Kill-Bits in security updates to block vulnerable ActiveX controls and COM objects which are vulnerable to security flaws when hosted in the browser.

Issuing a Kill-Bit for the control marks that particular control as forbidden to instantiate in the browser. Issue a Kill-Bit by setting the Compatibility Flags value to 0x400 for a control in the registry as described in KB Article 240797.