Earlier this month, yet another security vulnerability was discovered in Internet Explorer, this time affecting Explorer users who are running Windows XP or are running Windows Vista and have disabled Protected Mode in their browsers. Exploiting security flaws in the Microsoft Office software and the Internet Explorer browser has been a favorite pastime of many hackers throughout the last several years, who often are able to infect a personal computer with viruses and spyware by simply tricking an individual into visiting a bad website. Famously, sophisticated cyber attackers stole intellectual property from Google early this year by taking advantage of a security flaw in Internet Explorer 6.

Microsoft programs are frequent targets because of their wide usage – the vast majority of the world’s PCs run some version of Microsoft Office, so hackers can have a massive impact by only using one set of code. Once the user visits a booby trapped website or opens an infected email, the set of code is loaded onto the computer and gets into the Microsoft Office software, taking control and stealing information. Fortunately, there are some simple steps to take to guard against these attacks.

Keep Protected Mode enabled in your Internet Explorer 7 browser. It runs by default, so this shouldn’t be an issue unless you have manually disabled it. Protected Mode is specifically designed to protect your system from damage by restricting the places that files can be saved or modified without permission from the user. To make sure you have enabled Protected Mode:

Open Internet Explorer 7. From the command bar, select the “Tools” tab.
From the drop down list, choose “Internet Options.”
Select the “Security” tab.
Locate the checkbox for “Enable Protected Mode” and make sure the box is checked.

For Other Versions of Windows: If you are running Internet Explorer on Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008, there is a restricted mode called Enhanced Security Configuration which automatically sets the security level internet browsing to High.

Install all Microsoft updates. Visit http://www.microsoft.com/security and click on the “Get the [month] security updates.” A window will pop up telling you if you have installed all available updates or if you a due for new downloads and installations. This is where patches to fix “holes” in Internet Explorer would be found. You can also use your “Start” menu to check for updates; in the menu, simply select “All Programs” and then “Windows Update.” The Microsoft security website also has a link for free antivirus and antispyware software, which when downloaded will give your PC additional protection against hackers.

Add-ons can be the source of malicious activity on your PC. Disable any add-ons that seem suspicious. To do this:

Open the browser. From the command bar, select the “Tools” tab.
From the drop down list, choose “Manage Add-ons.”
Select the “Enable or Disable add-ons” tab.
Look for suspicious add-ons. If you find any that look suspect, open up your preferred search engine and investigate. Disable add-ons that you find out are security risks.

Ryan Smith, Director of Product Development, Avanquest Software, a global developer and leading publisher in more than 100 countries, providing consumers and businesses with award-winning software for Windows utilities, office productivity, mobility and multimedia.

Avanquest’s new Double Anti-Spy is a spyware removal utility that combines two leading anti-spyware engines to deliver more effective protection against some of the most malicious computer threat.

Author: Ryan Jennings Smith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera News

Filed under: Security

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