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Windows Script Host

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The Microsoft Windows Script Host (originally called Windows Scripting Host, but renamed for the second release) is distributed and installed by default on Windows 98 and later versions of Microsoft Windows. It is also installed if Internet Explorer 5 (or a later version) is installed. It provides scripting capabilities comparable to batch files, but with a greater range of supported features. Beginning with Windows 2000, the Windows Script Host became available for use with user login scripts.

It is language-independent in the sense that it can make use of different Active Scripting language engines. By default it interprets and runs plain-text JScript (.JS and .JSE files) and VBScript (.VBS and .VBE files). Users can install different scripting engines to enable them to script in other languages, for instance Perl. The language independent filename extension WSF can also be used. The advantage of the Windows Script File (.WSF) is that it allows the user to use a combination of scripting languages within a single file.

Security concerns

Windows applications and processes may be automated using a script in Windows Script Host. Viruses and malware may attempt to use this ability as an exploit. Consequently, some suggest disabling it for security reasons.[1] Alternatively antivirus programs may offer features to control .vbs and other scripts which run in the WSH environment.

One way to address security concerns about Windows Script Host is to change the default handler for the .vbs, .vbe, .js, .jse, .wsf, .wsh file types to edit rather than run.[2]

Since version 5.6 of WSH, scripts can be digitally signed programmatically using the Scripting.Signer object in a script itself, provided a valid certificate is present on the system. Alternatively, the signcode tool from the Platform SDK, which has been extended to support WSH filetypes, may be used at the command line.

By using Software Restriction Policies introduced with Windows XP, a system may be configured to execute only those scripts which have been digitally signed, thus preventing the execution of untrusted scripts.[3]

Version history

Windows Version Shipped with WSH version Last redistributable version
Windows 95 None (Separate redistributable) 5.6
Windows NT 4.0 None (Separate redistributable) 5.6
Windows 98 1.0 5.6
Windows 2000 2.0 (also known as WSH 5.1) 5.7
Windows Me 2.0 (also known as WSH 5.1) 5.6
Windows XP / Windows Server 2003 5.6 5.7
Windows Vista / Windows Server 2008 5.7 Not applicable

The redistributable version of WSH version 5.6 can be installed on Windows 95/98/Me and Windows NT 4.0/2000. WSH 5.7 is downloadable for Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Recently, redistributable versions for older operating systems (Windows 9x and Windows NT 4.0) are no longer available from the Microsoft Download Center.

See also

References

  1. ^ Windows Script Host - disabling
  2. ^ In-depth discussion regarding securing WSH
  3. ^ Windows Script Host 5.6 Boasts Windows XP Integration, Security, New Object Model
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