Choosing Security Options in Internet Explorer 7

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The Security page in the Internet Options dialog box  lets you control the amount of protection

that Internet Explorer provides. The Select a Web Content Zone to Specify Its Security Settings box at the top of the page contains four categories of sites. The easiest way to explain them is in reverse order:

Restricted Sites Sites you’ve specifically designated as potentially dangerous Trusted Sites Sites you’ve specifically designated as trusted not to damage your computer or your data Local Intranet Local sites not specifically designated as restricted or trusted Internet All other sites The security zone for the current site appears in the status bar. You can set a different level of security for each category by selecting the category, and then dragging the Security Level for this Zone slider up or down. If you understand the specifics of security, you can also specify a custom level for a zone by selecting the category and clicking the Custom Level button. Internet Explorer displays the Security Settings dialog box . Select settings for the different categories, and then click the OK button. Internet Explorer closes the Security Settings dialog box and implements your settings. By default, the Internet category has a Medium-High security level designed to let you browse effectively while protecting you from harmful content. Local Intranet has a Medium-Low level, Trusted Sites has a Medium level, and Restricted Sites has a High level. To change your list of Local Intranet sites, Trusted Sites, or Restricted Sites, select the category and click the Sites button. Internet Explorer displays the Local Intranet dialog box, the Trusted Sites dialog box, or the Restricted Sites dialog box . To add a site to the list, enter its URL in the Add This Website to the Zone text box and click the Add button; to remove a site from the list, select it in the Websites list box and click the Remove button. Click the OK button to close the dialog box.

Choosing a Level of Privacy

For the Internet zone, use the Privacy page of the Internet Options dialog box  to set the level of privacy to use. Drag the slider in the Settings group box to specify the level of security to use. Beside the slider, Internet Explorer displays specifics for that level of privacy. If you prefer to have the boundaries of your privacy designed by other people, you can down- load privacy settings files from privacy organizations. Then click the Import button and use the resulting Privacy Import dialog box to import the file, which applies the preferences it contains.

Blocking Pop-ups To prevent websites from displaying pop-up windows via scripts, select the Turn on Pop-up Blocker check box in the Pop-up Blocker group box on the Privacy page of the Internet Options dialog box. With default settings, the Pop-up Blocker takes care of most pop-up windows. To fine-tune the Pop-up Blocker, click the Settings button and work in the Pop-up Blocker Settings dialog box . To allow specific sites to display pop-ups, type each address into the Address of Website to Allow text box, and then click the Add button. To remove a site from the Allowed Sites list you build, select the site and click the Remove button. The Notifications and Filter Level group box lets you control the sensitivity of the Pop-up Blocker and the types of notifications it gives you:

•    Select the Play a Sound When a Pop-up Is Blocked check box to receive an aural warning. This check box is enabled by default. If you find this sound annoying, clear the check box.

•    Select the Show Information Bar When a Pop-up Is Blocked check box to have Internet Explorer display a notification in the Information bar, which appears temporarily below the Command bar. This check box is selected by default. In most cases, the Information bar is useful, but you may choose to suppress it if you find it annoying.

•    In the Filter Level drop-down list, select High:

Block All Pop-ups Ctrl to Override, Medium:

Block Most Automatic Pop-ups, or Low:

Allow Pop-ups from Secure Sites, as appropriate. Click the Close button to close the Pop-up Blocker Settings dialog box and return to the Internet Options dialog box.

Handling Cookies

A key aspect of privacy is handling cookies, the text files that websites place on your computer in order to track your dealings with their site. For example, if you visit an e-commerce site and fill out a form to buy a product, the information you enter in the form is typically stored in a cookie so that the website can maintain the information in the fields if you need to go back to a previous page. Only the website that creates a cookie can read it; other websites cannot. Most cookies are persistent, lasting from one session to another so that their information can be used when you revisit a site in a later session, but there are also temporary cookies or session cookies that last only until the end of the current Internet Explorer session. To specify custom cookie handling, take the following steps:

1.  Click the Advanced button on the Privacy page of the Internet Options dialog box.

2.  Select the Override Automatic Cookie Handling check box.

3.  In the First-Party Cookies list, choose the Accept option button, the Block option button, or the Prompt option button as appropriate. First-party cookies are those that come from the website you’re viewing. These are the cookies you’re most likely to want to accept.

4.  In the Third-Party Cookies list, choose the Accept option button, the Block option button, or the Prompt option button as appropriate. Third-party cookies are those that come from web- sites associated with the one you’re viewing. They’re often used for advertising or market- ing, so you might want to block them.

5.  If you want to use session cookies no matter what your settings in the First-Party Cookies list and the Third-Party Cookies list, select the Always Allow Session Cookies check box. Session cookies are temporary cookies maintained during a session to facilitate communication with websites. Internet Explorer deletes session cookies when you close it.

6.  Click the OK button. Internet Explorer closes the Advanced Privacy Settings dialog box and applies your choices. That custom cookie handling you just set applies to all websites. If you want to be more specific about which sites can and cannot place cookies on your computer, click the Sites button on the Privacy page. Internet Explorer displays the Per Site Privacy Actions dialog box . To allow or block cookies from a website, enter the domain name in the Address of Website text box and then click the Allow button or the Block button as appropriate. Use the Remove button to remove a blocked or allowed site from the Managed Web Sites list box, or use the Remove All button to clear the list. Click the OK button. Internet Explorer closes the Per Site Privacy Actions dialog box and applies your choices. When a blocked site tries to set a cookie, Internet Explorer displays the Privacy Report icon, an eye with a no-entry sign overlapping it, in the middle of the status bar. Double-click the Privacy Report icon to display the Privacy Report dialog box . Use the Show drop-down list to toggle between Restricted Websites and All Websites. Click the Settings button if you want to move to the Privacy page of the Internet Options dialog box for example, to block a new offender. Or click the Close button to close the Privacy Report dialog box.

Choosing Content Options

The Content page of the Internet Options dialog box  lets you implement parental controls, use ratings to control the content that Internet Explorer can access, manage certificates, and configure AutoComplete and RSS feeds.

Setting Up Parental Controls To set up parental controls for Windows Vista and Internet Explorer, click the Parental Controls button on the Content page, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the Parental Controls window. Work as described in the section “Implementing Parental Controls” in Article 8.

Screening Out Objectionable Content The Content Advisor feature enables you to set up content screening based on the ratings of the Internet Content Rating Association ICRA. Content Advisor is useful if children or easily offended friends or relatives may be using your computer. You may also want to implement parental controls. To set up Content Advisor, take the following steps:

1.  On the Content page, click the Enable button in the Content Advisor group box, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Internet Explorer displays the Content Advi- sor dialog box.

2.  On the Ratings page , select the item in the Select a Category to View the Rat- ing Levels list box, and then drag the Adjust the Slider to Specify What Users Are Allowed to See slider to a suitable level. The Description text box explains what the current setting permits.

3.  Click the Approved Sites tab. Internet Explorer displays the Approved Sites page.

4.  Set up your list of approved and disapproved sites by taking the following steps:

•    In the Allow This Website text box, type the URL of the website you want to make always viewable or never viewable.

•    Click the Always button or the Never button as appropriate. Internet Explorer adds the site to the List of Approved and Disapproved Websites list box and marks it with the cor- responding icon.

•    To remove a website from the List of Approved and Disapproved Websites list box, select it and click the Remove button.

5.  Click the General tab. Internet Explorer displays the General page .

6.  Choose options as appropriate:

•    Select the Users Can See Websites That Have No Rating check box if you want users to be able to view websites that don’t use ratings. This check box is cleared by default, because unrated websites may well have offensive content.

•    Leave the Supervisor Can Type a Password to Allow Users to View Restricted Content check box selected as it is by default if you want to be able to let other users view restricted sites by your entering a password. If not, clear this check box.

•    To change the supervisor password, click the Create Password button and specify the new password in the resulting Change Supervisor Password dialog box.

Adding Other Rating Systems

If you don’t find the Internet Content Rating Association ICRA adequate, you can add other rating systems to Internet Explorer by using the controls in the Rating Systems group box on the General page of the Content Advisor dialog box. The Advanced page contains controls for adding a ratings bureau and PICSRules to Content Advisor. You’re unlikely to need to use these options for home or home-office computing.

7.  Click the OK button. Internet Explorer closes Content Advisor. The first time you close Content Advisor, Internet Explorer displays the Create Supervisor Password dialog box .

8.  Type the password in the Password and Confirm Password text boxes, create a password hint if you feel you need one, and then click the OK button. Internet Explorer displays a Content Advisor message box telling you that Content Advisor has been installed and to close Internet Explorer.

9.  Click the OK button. Internet Explorer closes the Content Advisor dialog box and returns you to the Internet Options dialog box, where the Enable button has changed to the Disable button.

10.  Click the OK button. Internet Explorer closes the Internet Options dialog box.

11.  Close Internet Explorer, and then reopen it. To adjust the settings for Content Advisor, click the Settings button in the Content Advisor group box on the Content page of the Internet Options dialog box. Internet Explorer displays the Supervi- sor Password Required dialog box. Enter your password and click the OK button to display the Content Advisor dialog box, then change the settings and click the OK button. To disable ratings again, click the Disable button in the Content Advisor group box on the Con- tent page of the Internet Options dialog box. Internet Explorer displays the Supervisor Password Required dialog box. Enter your password and click the OK button. Internet Explorer displays a Content Advisor message box telling you that Content Advisor has been turned off. When users hit a site that contains unapproved content, they see a Content Advisor dialog box . If you’re the user, you can enter the supervisor password and choose the Always Allow This Website to Be Viewed option button to make a lasting exception for the site, the Always Allow This Webpage to Be Viewed option button to make a lasting exception for the page but not the site, or the Allow Viewing Only This Time option button to make a temporary exception. Then click the OK button. Internet Explorer closes the Content Advisor dialog box and displays the site. A user without the supervisor password will need to click the Cancel button and will not be able to reach the site.

Clearing Your Certificates Information The Certificates area of the Content page lets you display the list of certificates installed on the computer click the Certificates button or the list of trusted software publishers click the Publishers button. You can also clear your personal security information by clicking the Clear SSL State button. You’ll normally need to do this only if you’ve been using someone else’s computer - for example, a public computer or a friend’s computer - and have provided your credentials on a smart card.

Managing Your AutoComplete Information

AutoComplete is a great feature that can save you a lot of fuss with passwords and often-repeated information. But it can also severely compromise your digital persona and your finances, so you need to understand what it does and how it works so that you can use it appropriately. AutoComplete automatically fills in URLs and entries on forms for you. To do so, it needs to watch as you enter URLs and information on forms, and store that information. Then, when you start typing a URL or access a form it recognizes, it can fill in the information for you. For example, the first time you access your Windows Live Mail account via Internet Explorer, AutoComplete can learn your username and password, and offer to fill them in for you in the future.The downside to AutoComplete is that Internet Explorer is storing sensitive or secret information, which means that other people who use your computer can more easily masquerade as you. There’s also a risk that your computer could be hacked to give up this information, though this risk is less severe than the direct risk from people who can physically access your computer. To configure AutoComplete, follow these steps:

1.  Click the AutoComplete button in the Personal Information group box on the Content page of the Internet Options dialog box. Internet Explorer displays the AutoComplete Settings dialog box .

2.  In the Use AutoComplete For group box, specify the items for which you want to use AutoComplete:

Web Addresses Select this check box to have AutoComplete track the URLs you access and suggest matching URLs in the Open dialog box and the Address box.

Forms Select this check box to have AutoComplete track your entries in forms other than usernames and passwords.

User Names and Passwords on Forms    Select this check box to make AutoComplete track the usernames and passwords you enter in forms. This is the most sensitive information, so you may want to clear this check box. If you select it, leave the Prompt Me to Save Passwords check box selected so that Internet Explorer gets your consent each time it’s about to store a password of yours. These settings let you use AutoComplete for less sensitive passwords but not for high-security passwords.

3.  Click the OK button. Internet Explorer closes the AutoComplete Settings dialog box.

Choosing Settings for Feeds To control how Internet Explorer handles feeds, click the Settings button in the Feeds area of the Content tab of the Internet Options dialog box, and then work in the Feed Settings dialog box .

Default Schedule In this group box, select the Automatically Check Feeds for Updates check box if you want Internet Explorer to look for updates for you. Use the Every drop-down list to specify the frequency - anything from 15 minutes to 1 week.

Automatically Mark Feed As Read When Reading a Feed    Select this check box if you want Internet Explorer to mark a feed as read once you’ve started reading it.

Turn On Feed Reading View Select this check box if you want Internet Explorer to switch automatically to feed-reading view.

Play a Sound When a Feed Is Found for a Webpage    Select this check box if you want Internet Explorer to give you an aural heads-up when it finds a feed on a web page. Click the OK button to close the Feed Settings dialog box.

Specifying Programs for Internet Services

browser is your default, manage add-ons, and set programs for HTML editing and accessing the Internet.