All Covered | Newsletter

Tech Tip

Browser Wars/Making Internet Explorer Safer

With an estimated 92% market share, Internet Explorer (IE) is the most widely used web browser and a keen target for spyware creators. Microsoft's stated position is that the safest version of IE on the market today is XP with Service Pack 2. They strongly recommend that users upgrade their operating system to XP in order to take advantage of the IE security improvements.

If upgrading isn't an option for you, there are two choices: switch to an alternate browser or work to make your current version of IE as safe as possible.

If switching browsers makes sense for you, popular choices for Windows users include Firefox (www.mozilla.org), Netscape (www.netscape.com) and Opera (www.opera.com). When considering a switch from Internet Explorer, the biggest frustration expressed by users is that not all websites and web applications work properly with these alternate browsers.

Making Internet Explorer Safer:
Internet Explorer users can minimize Spyware infections by using the built-in security settings. While this won't prevent all potential infections, it will help users reduce their chances of getting infected.

For the highest level of security, but the least amount of web browsing functionality – meaning users may be prompted multiple times when visiting sites that use ActiveX controls – use the following settings:

Use Highest Security Setting

In Internet Explorer, go to the Tools Menu, select Internet Options
Select the Security Tab
Click Internet Zone
Move the lever to High for the Security Level of that zone.

Use Custom Setting for power web surfers who will settle for less security to avoid multiple prompts.

In Internet Explorer, go to the Tools Menu, select Internet Options
Select the Security Tab
Click Internet Zone
Click the Custom Level... button and scroll down to the ActiveX Controls and Plug-ins settings. We recommend:

Download Signed ActiveX Controls – Enable
Download Unsigned ActiveX Controls – Prompt
Initialize and Script ActiveX Controls Not Marked as Safe – Prompt
Run ActiveX Controls and Plug-ins – Enable
Script ActiveX Controls Marked as Safe for Scripting - Enable

Clean up Internet Cookies and Temporary Internet files

In Internet Explorer, go to the Tools Menu, select Internet Options.
Select the General Tab
Use the buttons to delete cookies and delete files
Select Settings Button

Set amount of disk space to use to 5MB

Weekly clean up recommended

Use Trusted Sites feature for frequently visited web sites

In Internet Explorer, go to the Tools Menu, select Internet Options.
Select the Security Tab
Click on Trusted Sites icon
Click on the Sites button
Add frequently visited websites

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