Windows 7 : Using Internet Explorer 8 - Customizing the Browser and Setting Internet Options (part 3) - Setting Security and Privacy Preferences

2. Setting Security and Privacy Preferences

In many ways, the Web is a safer place than the “real” world, but it does present its own unique dangers. The greatest hazards involve sensitive and private information about you or your company being compromised, or having your computer infected with a software virus. IE8 incorporates a number of security features to protect you from these hazards, and you can customize those features to suit your own needs, browsing habits, and company policies.

Begin by clicking the Tools button and opening the Internet Options dialog box. Click the Security tab. Click Default Level in the lower-right corner of the dialog box to show the slider that allows you to set a security level for each zone, as shown in Figure 4.

You first need to select a zone for which you want to customize settings. Figure 4 shows the four zones, described here:

• Internet— This zone applies to all resources outside your LAN or intranet.

• Local Intranet— This zone applies to pages available on your company’s intranet. These pages are usually more trustworthy and can justify less-restrictive settings.

• Trusted Sites— You manually designate these sites as trusted. To designate a trusted site, browse to the site, open this dialog box, select the Trusted Sites zone, and click Sites. Here you can add the site to your Trusted Sites zone list. Trusted sites usually allow lighter security.

• Restricted Sites— Designated in the same manner as Trusted Sites, websites listed here are ones you specifically find untrustworthy. They should have the strictest security settings.

Each zone has its own security preferences that you can set. The easiest way to set preferences is to choose one of the three basic levels offered in the dialog box. The default level is Medium, and for most web users, this setting works best because it provides a good balance of security and usability. The High setting offers the greatest possible security, but you might find that the level is so restrictive that it’s difficult to browse your favorite websites.

In contrast, the Medium and Medium-Low levels make browsing much easier because you aren’t presented with dialog boxes and warnings every time a potentially hazardous activity begins. Because these two levels leave too many doors open to virus infection and other dangers, they are not advisable in most situations.

Besides setting a basic security level, you can customize individual settings. First, choose a basic level (such as Medium) and then try these steps:

Review the items in the Security Settings dialog box that pertain to ActiveX controls and Java applets. Assess these settings carefully, especially those for ActiveX controls, because of the unique hazards they can present. The ActiveX standard contains loopholes, so unsigned controls can run virtually any OLE-compliant operation on your system. Java, on the other hand, is relatively—but not entirely—secure.

You should also consider your desired level of cookie security. Because cookies are text only, they cannot contain a virus or other harmful content. However, they can contain personal information, such as a record of web pages you have visited, how long you spent at a page, how many times you have visited, personal preferences for a web page, and even user IDs and passwords. For these reasons, many people regard cookies as an invasion of privacy.

You can disable cookies, or you can choose to have IE prompt you every time a site attempts to leave a cookie in your cache. However, keep in mind that some websites make such heavy use of cookies that you could find it difficult—if not impossible—to browse the Web normally.

To set your cookie preferences, click the Tools button, click Internet Options, and then click the Privacy tab. The Settings area enables you to determine how and when cookies are sent. Choose a level you are comfortable with, or click the Advanced button to select the Override Automatic Cookie Handling option and specify whether IE will always accept, block, or prompt you before enabling first-party or third-party cookies.

You might want to override your normal cookie settings for certain websites. If so, go to the Websites area of the Privacy tab and click the Edit button. In the text box, enter a complete website address. Then click the Block or Allow button to specify websites for which you want to never or always allow cookies.