Securing Your Browser

This post was written by admin on May 8, 2007
Posted Under: Browser Security, Free PC Security

The way that your Web browser is configured provides a front line to secure Web surfing.

Though many of the security features that relate to your browser are described in other tutorials, these tutorials step you through a complete assessment of your browser’s security settings.

Important Note:
Make sure you back-up your system or create a Restore Point before making any changes

Checking IE Connection Types

Step 1: Open Internet Options.
Many of the security features of the Internet Explorer browser can be set from the Internet Options window. To open the Internet Options window, click on Tools, Internet Options from the Internet Explorer window.

Step 2: Select Advanced Tab.
The different types of secure connections that can be used with Internet Explorer are configured on the Advanced tab of the Internet Options window. Click on the Advanced tab, then scroll down to the Security heading.

Step 3: Check Fortezza Connections
On the Internet Options, Advanced tab, if the Use Fortezza box is checked it means that Internet Explorer is configured to allow secure connections to Web sites that support Fortezza cryptography connections. Fortezza is used by the U.S. Department of Defense a Fortezza Crypto Card reader, a Fortezza Crypto Card, and related software drivers. Needless to say, this is a rather specialized type of connection, though it doesn’t hurt to have it turned on.

Step 4: Check PCT Connections.
The Private Communications Technology (PCT) protocol is developed by Microsoft to provide secure connections to sites that support that protocol. SSL is much more widely used than PCT, so there is generally no reason to select this protocol. Click on the Use PCT 1.0 box if you want to allow secure PCT connections from Internet Explorer.

Step 5: Check SSL Connections.
Because most secure connections on the Web rely on Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocols, you should select both Use SSL 2.0 and Use SSL 3.0 options on the Advanced tab of the Internet Options window. SSL was a protocol that was developed by Netscape Communications.

Step 6: Check TLS Connections.
The Transport Layer Security protocol is an open standard that is much like the SSL protocol. To allow connections using TLS, click on the Use TLS 1.0 button.

Step 7: Apply Changes.
After you have selected the secure connection types that your browser supports, click on the Apply button to have the changes applied to your browser.

Checking IE Cache Settings

Step 1: Open Internet Options.
As you browse the Web, your browser will typically store the pages you have visited on your hard disk. This can speed up your browsing by having data ready immediately when you step backward and forward among the pages you visit. The potential security risk is that if others are using your browser they may be able to see the stored content later. You can clear stored pages by setting anoption on the Internet Options page. From IE, click on Tools, Internet Options.

Step 2: Select Advanced Tab. ptions for deleting stored Web surfing content in Internet Explorer are configured on the Advanced tab of the Internet Options window. Click on the Advanced tab, then scroll down to the Security heading.

Step 3: Check Save Encrypted Pages.
Presumably, data that has been encrypted during communication between your browser and a Web site will tend to be more sensitive. For example, data is encrypted during online shopping and other financial transactions. To prevent any encrypted data from being saved to your disk, select the “Do not save encrypted pages to disk” check box on the Advanced tab of the Internet Options window.

Step 4: Check Empty Temporary Files.
You can have all the Web content that is temporarily stored on your hard disk be removed when you close your browser. Click on the “Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed” check box to enable that feature.

Step 5: Apply Changes.
After you have selected the secure connection types that your browser supports, click on the Apply button to have the changes applied to your browser.

Setting IE Security Zones

Step 1: Open Internet Options
Internet Explorer allows you to set groups of Web sites to have similar levels of security. These groups are referred to as “Web Content Zones.” You can set up these content zones from the Internet Options page. From IE, click on Tools, Internet Options.

Step 2: Select Security Tab
Options for setting content zones in Internet Explorer are configured on the Security tab of the Internet Options window. Click on the Security tab to begin setting these options.

Step 3: Select Web Content Zone
There are four pre-defined Web content zones: Local Intranet (for sites within your organization), Trusted Sites (for sites you know are secure), Restricted sites (for sites that are not secure) and Internet (for all other Web sites). Click on one of those sites to set the level and define the sites for that zone.

Step 4: Select a Security Level
Click on the slider bar on the Security tab to set the security level for zone you have selected. You can set the security zone to Low, Medium-low, Medium, or High. Each level is described when you select that level on the slider bar. If you try to change to a less secure level than the default for the zone, you will be warned.

Step 5: Customize Security Level
If you want to fine tune any of the four preset security levels, you can do so by clicking on the Custom Level button. The Security Settings window appears. From that window, you can select how different types of content are handled (such as ActiveX controls, plug-ins, cookies, file downloads, Java, etc.) when you try to download or start that type of content. Click on OK when you are satisfied with your settings.

Step 6: Apply Changes
Click on the Apply button to apply the changes you made to the Web content zones.

Enabling Content in Netscape

Step 1: Open Preferences
Some types of content can pose a potential security risk as you browse the Web. You can allow or disallow certain types of content from the Netscape Preferences window. To access this window, click on Edit, Preferences from the Netscape window.

Step 2: Select Advanced Preferences
From the Preferences window, click on the Advanced title in the left column. Preferences that relate to the kinds of content that can be displayed in Netscape and the ways that cookies may (or may not) be accepted are displayed.

Step 3: Allow Java/JavaScript
By default, Java applets (small programs) and JavaScripts (a series of commands) run in your browser when they are encountered on the Web. Because these scripts can pose some small security threat (and can also slow your browser), you can choose to disallow these types of programs. Click on the associated check boxes to turn off those features. (Warning: some Web sites will not work with Java disabled.)

Step 4: Enabling Cookies
Cookies are small files that a Web site stores on your hard disk so it can identify you (and possibly your personal information) the next time you visit the site. Some people dislike Web sites knowing too much about them and choose to turn cookies off (click on Disable Cookies). Rather than accept all cookies, however, you can limit a cookie’s use to the originating server or to be warned before a cookie is accepted. (Warning: some sites won’t work with cookies off.)

Step 5: Applying Changes
Once you have changed the setting the way you want, click on OK to have the changes take effect.

Setting Netscape Security

Step 1: Open the Security Window
From the Netscape window, you can open a Security Info window to find security information about the current Web page. It can also be used to define how Netscape behaves when it encounters potentially insecure situations. To open the Security Info window from Netscape, click on the Security icon in the toolbar (it looks like a small padlock).

Step 2: Verify Web Page Security
When the Security Info page first appears, it tells you two pieces of information about the current Web page. First it tells you weather or not the page was encrypted and second it verifies the Web address of the page you have opened. To view details about the page, click on the Open Page Info button.

Step 3: View Page Information
When the Page Info page appears, you can view detailed security information relating to the current Web page. If it is a secure Web page, you can see the type of security that is used with the page and who owns the certificate that verifies the authenticity of the page. When you are done viewing this information, close the page by clicking on the X in the upper right corner of the window.

Step 4: Set Security Warnings
If you are about to enter information about yourself into a Web site, you probably want to make sure that the site is secure. From the Security Info page, you can set Netscape to warn when you enter or leave a secure site, as well as when you view a page with some encrypted data or send unencrypted information. (These features are on by default.) To check these settings, click on Navigator in the left column, then check how the values are set.

Step 5: Apply Changes
To apply any changes you made to the Security Info page, click on the OK button.