Your PC - Personal Security & Safeguards

Check Your Settings

There are settings in software that govern how the program handles certain tasks, such as allowing or blocking downloads, screening Web sites, or accepting cookies. You can change the privacy and security settings to suit the levels of protection you prefer. For example, using the Microsoft® Internet Explorer Content Advisor, you can help manage access to Web sites according to ratings for language, nudity, sex, and violence.

Suit Yourself

Security is a trade-off. The more features and functionalities you enable on a computer connected to the Internet, the greater your exposure to risk. The more restrictive your settings, however, the less you can experience through the Web. As one support professional said, "the only way to be completely secure is not to take the computer out of the box."

Checklist for Checking Your Settings

Is your software up-to-date?

Before making changes to your settings, always make sure your software patches are up-to-date. .

• Microsoft Windows® Update
• Microsoft Office Download Center

Newer versions of software contain more built-in security features. For example, Office XP includes strong anti-virus features within Microsoft Outlook 2002. Internet Explorer 6.0 gives you a greater ability to manage your privacy options; download your free copy of Internet Explorer 6.0.

(Note: when updating your Windows operating system, temporarily turn off your virus scanner; otherwise, the antivirus program may report false results.)

Check your Internet Explorer browser settings

You can adjust settings for the four Web content zones, set preferences about receiving cookies, and activate the Content Advisor.

• Check the Security Tab settings. Internet Explorer divides your online world into four zones: intranet, Trusted, Restricted, and Internet. You can assign Web sites to each zone and can set each zone's level of security. For example, you might put well-known entertainment or shopping sites in the Trusted Zone, and set the security level lower than you would for unknown sites in the Internet Zone. For how-to details, look up "security zones" in Internet Explorer Help.
• Check the Privacy Tab settings. Define your preferences for handling cookies and your standards for releasing personal information. See how to in Internet Explorer and Web Privacy.
• Activate the Content Advisor in Internet Explorer 5.5 and 6.0. Use the Content Advisor to set rules about which Web sites your children can access. Use the rating system or set you own criteria. Read about Content Advisor.

Check your Outlook settings

The most common method by which viruses spread is by attachments sent through e-mail. To find out which version of Microsoft Outlook® you are using, on the task bar click on Help, then click on About Microsoft Outlook.

• Outlook 2002. This version of the Office XP e-mail program automatically blocks e-mail attachments that can contain viruses.
• Outlook 2000 and Outlook 98. To help protect against viruses with these versions of Outlook, install the Outlook E-mail Software Update.
• Outlook Express 6 (a free component of Internet Explorer). To help protect against e-mail borne viruses, enable the blocking feature of Outlook Express 6: On Tools menu, click Options. Click the Security tab, then make sure to check the box Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could be a virus. For more details, read Using Virus Protection in Outlook Express 6.

By default, Outlook Express 6 provides certain protections you can review on the Security tab, such as HTML mail opened in the Restricted Zone and applications that want to send e-mail on your behalf must warn you they are doing so.

Important note: Microsoft strongly recommends that you do not change or weaken these settings as they will open your machine to potentially damaging virus attacks.

Previous versions of Outlook Express do not contain these antivirus features. To upgrade to Internet Explorer 6.0, which includes Outlook Express, download your free copy.

Recommended Option: Set up encryption in Microsoft Outlook to help protect the privacy of your e-mail messages.

• Use e-mail encryption and digital signature. To help protect your personal information while sending e-mail, it is wise to encrypt it and sign it with a digital signature. Encryption helps provide privacy by encoding your message. A digital signature helps provide authentication that the message is from the sender and not someone else. You can recognize an encrypted message by the red ribbonned seal on the envelope icon in your Inbox. For how-to details, look up "encrypting e-mail" in Outlook Help.