Configuring, Managing, and Troubleshooting Internet Explorer Security Settings

Objective:

Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Internet Explorer security settings.

You can configure your Internet Explorer's security settings in the Internet Options console. This console is available in Control Panel, as well as on the Tools menu in Internet Explorer. The Security tab displays a list of website types called Internet zones, as shown in Figure 12.12.

Figure 12.12. Security settings are established separately to each type of website location.

To configure the security settings for an Internet zone, click the zone to select it and then click the Custom Level button. The Security Settings dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 12.13, where you can select each individual security setting or set an Internet zone to a pre-defined group of security settings that range from Low, to Medium-Low, to Medium, to High.

Figure 12.13. Individual security settings apply to an Internet zone for a custom security definition.

To establish the privacy settings, click the Privacy tab. Here you can select a preset level for handling cookies. If you click the Sites button, you can block or allow privacy information to be exchanged with specific websites. To establish a different method for handling cookies in the Internet zone, click the Advanced button and select your preferred settings.

For security settings that govern specific behaviors in Internet Explorer, click the Advanced tab and scroll down the window to the Security category. You see a screen similar to Figure 12.14. Here, you can set options such as reducing problems caused by software downloaded and run from the Internet (do this by clearing the Allow Software to Run or Install Even if the Signature Is Invalid check box).

Figure 12.14. The Advanced tab of Internet Options contains additional security settings.

One of the ways that you can secure Internet Explorer is to ensure that it is updated with the latest patches and service packs available. Microsoft is constantly providing new security updates. To look for these updates, open Internet Explorer, click the Tools menu and select Windows Update. This will take you to windowsupdate.microsoft.com, where you can download and install all types of updates for Windows XP.

When you are troubleshooting security or privacy problems with Internet Explorer, click Start, Open text, and type msinfo32 in the Run box and press Enter. This opens the System Information utility, which you can navigate to Internet Settings, Internet Explorer, and then Security. You can also view the Content settings to look at certificates and publishers. If you are concerned that there is a security problem with the protocol, you should navigate to Components, Network, and then Protocol to see the configuration that is running on your computer.

Managing Security After Installing SP2

Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP Professional was introduced with a focus on proactive security. It includes the following security features, tools, and settings:

• Windows Firewall Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) has been replaced with a personal firewall that protects the computer from unsolicited Internet traffic.

• Stronger security for Internet Explorer SP2 includes enhancements that specifically protect against known types of exploits. One of these enhancements is that HTML is restricted from running on the local computer with elevated system privileges, thus preventing a hacker from using this method of attacking the PC.

• Stronger buffers One of the ways that hackers can gain access to a network or simply cause havoc on a network is by overrunning a computer's memory buffer with excess data execution. SP2 protects against a buffer overrun attack.

• Security Center After you install SP2, there is a new utility added to Control Panel called the Windows Security Center. To access this utility, open Control Panel and click Security Center. This utility, depicted in Figure 12.15, provides a quick overview of the firewall, antivirus, and automatic updates features installed and lets you know whether they are running. You can manage the Security Center by using group policies.

  Figure 12.15. Windows Security Center is installed with SP2.

  
  
  

• Internet Explorer Add-on Manager Some malware installs itself as an add-on to Internet Explorer, which prior to SP2 was nearly impossible to remove. (Malware programs do not include uninstall applications.) You can click the Internet Explorer Tools menu and select Manage Add-ons. This displays any add-ons that are currently loaded or have been used by Internet Explorer. You can click to select and disable any add-on.

• Pop-up Blocker Advertisers learned that they could spawn additional windows and display ads to Internet users. These are called pop-ups. Some pop-ups even deploy malware and are displayed in such a way that the only possible way to close the pop-up without installing the malware is to use the Task Manager to force the window to close. Users who do not know how to do this often end up with huge amounts of pop-up traffic, viruses, spy software, and other problems. SP2 includes a pop-up blocker that blocks any website from spawning another Internet Explorer window without your explicit permission. To toggle this feature on and off, in Internet Explorer, click the Tools menu and select Pop-up Blocker, and then either select Turn Pop-up Blocker On or Turn Pop-up Blocker Off. You can configure how the Pop-up Blocker functions by selecting Pop-Up Blocker settings.