Security Center

Security Center is an entirely new feature provided by Windows XP Service Pack 2. The Security Center service runs as a background process in Windows XP and routinely checks the status of the following components:

• Windows Firewall Security Center detects whether Windows Firewall is enabled or disabled. Security Center can also detect the presence of some third- party software firewall products.

• Automatic Updates Security Center detects the current Automatic Updates setting in Windows XP. If Automatic Updates is turned off or is not set to the recommended settings, the Security Center provides appropriate recommendations.

• Virus Protection Security Center detects the presence of many third-party antivirus software programs. If the information is available, the Security Center service also determines whether the software is up to date and whether real-time scanning is turned on.

When Security Center is running, its presence is indicated by an icon in the notification area on the Windows taskbar, as shown in Figure A-15. When Security Center detects an important security condition (such as improper settings), it displays a pop-up notice in the notification area.

Figure A-15: The Security Center icon in the notification area provides access to the Security Center Window and alerts the user to security conditions.

You can also double-click the Security Center icon in the notification area to open the main Security Center window, shown in Figure A-16. The Security Center window provides the following information:

• Resources where you can learn more about security-related issues.

• An indication of whether Windows Firewall is enabled or disabled, as well as a shortcut for opening the Windows Firewall dialog box.

  
  Figure A-16: The Security Center window provides a central interface for managing security on a computer running Windows XP.

• The current configuration for Automatic Updates, as well as a link for changing Automatic Updates settings.

• The current status of antivirus software installed on the computer. For some antivirus products, Security Center can also determine whether the antivirus software is up to date.

• Additional shortcuts for opening the Internet Options and System dialog boxes.

  Note

  In cases where you are running firewall or antivirus software that is not detected by Security Center, Security Center presents options for bypassing alerting for that component. If you see a Recommendations button, you can use it to open a window that lets you disable alerts or research appropriate third-party products.