®® Microsoft Windows 7 for Power Users Tutorial 7 Enhancing Your Computers Security

®®Microsoft Windows 7 for Power Users

Tutorial 7Enhancing Your Computer’s Security

XPXPXPXPXPXPObjectives• Use the Action Center to evaluate your computer’s

security• Examine firewall settings• Check Windows Update settings and update history• Verify virus protection and spyware settings• Explore user accounts and User Account Control• Create a password reset disk

Windows 7 for Power Users Tutorial 7 2

XPXPXPXPXPXPObjectives• Compare Internet Explorer security zones• Enable SmartScreen Filter, Pop-up Blocker, and

InPrivate Filtering• Manage add-ons• Develop a strategy for managing cookies• Delete your browsing history• Use InPrivate Browsing


XPXPXPXPXPXPAction Center


XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing the Action Center to Evaluate Your Computer’s Security Settings• In the notification area on the taskbar, click the Action

Center button to open the Action Center dialog box• Click the Open Action Center link


XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing the Action Center to Evaluate Your Computer’s Security Settings


XPXPXPXPXPXPExamining Firewall Settings• A firewall is software that protects your computer in

two ways:– Monitors incoming traffic from the Internet or a

network– Monitors outgoing traffic from your computer to

the Internet or a network


XPXPXPXPXPXPChecking Your Windows Update Settings• Click the Action Center button in the taskbar

notification area, click the Open Action Center link, and then click the Windows Update link in the lower-left pane

• Click the Change settings link in the left pane, and then review your Windows Update settings

• To change how Windows 7 handles updates, click the Important updates button, and then choose the option you want to use for handling Windows updates


XPXPXPXPXPXPChecking Your Windows Update Settings• Decide how you want Windows Update to give you

recommended updates, whether all users can install updates, whether you want updates for Microsoft products and new optional Microsoft software, and whether you want detailed notifications when new Microsoft software is available

• Click the OK button to apply changes you made, and then provide Administrator credentials

• Close the Windows Update window


XPXPXPXPXPXPChecking Your Windows Update Settings


XPXPXPXPXPXPProtecting Your Computer from Malicious Software and Malicious Web Sites• Malware is a catch-all term for different types of

malicious software– Computer virus– Worm– Trojan horse– Spyware– Adware– Browser hijacker– Keylogger– Rootkits


XPXPXPXPXPXPThe Importance of User Account Control• A user account:– Identifies which folders and files you can access– Provides access to your personal settings (such as

desktop and folder settings)– Determines what types of changes you can make

to the computer (such as installing software and hardware, updating software, and managing user accounts)

– Determines what types of system settings you can access, view, and change


XPXPXPXPXPXPThe Importance of User Account Control• Features to enhance the security of Windows 7– User Account Control (UAC)– Secure Desktop Mode• Prevents silent installs

– Credentials Prompt– Password Reset Disk


XPXPXPXPXPXPThe Importance of User Account Control• Suggestions for creating strong passwords and

passphrases:– Should contain eight or more characters– Do not use all or part of your name, user account

name, or company name– Do not use a complete word– Mix uppercase and lowercase characters, numbers,

and symbols– Use misspellings

• A passphrase consists of multiple words that are organized into a phrase for added security.


XPXPXPXPXPXPChanging Action Center Settings• Click the Action Center button in the notification area,

click the Open Action Center link, and then click the Change Action Center settings link

• Click the Problem reporting settings link under Related settings, and then specify how you want to handle security and maintenance messages for Action Center items

• Click the OK button to close the Change Action Center settings window, and then close the Action Center window


XPXPXPXPXPXPInternet Security


XPXPXPXPXPXPChecking Internet Explorer Security and Privacy Settings• You can check Internet Explorer settings in several

ways:– Using Internet Explorer– Using the Control Panel

• Security zones and levels– Local intranet– Trusted sites– Restricted sites– Internet


XPXPXPXPXPXPChecking Internet Explorer Security and Privacy Settings• Security zones and levels– Internet• Medium-high

– Local intranet• Medium-low

– Trusted sites• Medium

– Restricted sites• High

• Protected mode is available for two of the four security zones


XPXPXPXPXPXPChecking Internet Explorer Security and Privacy Settings


XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing the SmartScreen Filter• To turn the SmartScreen Filter on, click the Safety

button on the Internet Explorer toolbar, point to SmartScreen Filter, and then click “Turn On SmartScreen Filter.”

• To check a Web site to determine whether it’s safe or unsafe, click the Safety button on the toolbar, point to SmartScreen Filter, and then click “Check This Website.”


XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing the SmartScreen Filter• To report a Web site you suspect is unsafe, click the

Safety button on the toolbar, point to SmartScreen Filter, and then click “Report Unsafe Website.”

• To turn off the SmartScreen Filter, click the Safety button on the toolbar, point to SmartScreen Filter, and then click “Turn Off SmartScreen Filter.”


XPXPXPXPXPXPChecking Internet Explorer Security and Privacy Settings• Pop-up windows are commonly used to display

advertising• May appear above your browser window or in the

background• Internet Explorer has a Pop-up Blocker– You can configure the Pop-up Blocker settings




XPXPXPXPXPXPChecking Internet Explorer Security and Privacy Settings• Add-ons are programs that work with Internet

Explorer – View information about add-ons– Enable or disable add-ons


XPXPXPXPXPXPChecking Internet Explorer Security and Privacy Settings• Another potential privacy issue is the use of cookies,

or simple text files, placed on your computer by Web sites you visit– Contains the Web site’s address, as well as

information about the date and time of a visit, which Web pages you examined, and other information

• Click the Tools button on the Internet Explorer toolbar, click Internet Options, and in the Internet Options dialog box, click the Privacy tab




XPXPXPXPXPXPViewing the Privacy Report and Privacy Policy for a Web Site• Open Internet Explorer, and then navigate to the Web

site whose privacy policy you want to examine• To view a Privacy Report, click the Safety button on

the toolbar, click Webpage Privacy Policy, and in the Privacy Report dialog box, examine the list of Web sites that contribute content to the current page and the information about whether cookies are blocked or accepted from the current Web site


XPXPXPXPXPXPViewing the Privacy Report and Privacy Policy for a Web Site• To view the Privacy Policy for a Web site, click the

address of a Web site listed in the Site column, click the Summary button, and then examine the privacy summary for the company

• Close the Privacy Policy dialog box, and then close the Privacy Report dialog box


XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing InPrivate Filtering to Identify Content Tracking• InPrivate Filtering blocks content, such as web

measurement tools, placed by third-party Web sites on the Web pages and Web sites you visit


XPXPXPXPXPXPDeleting Your Internet Explorer Browsing History• Open Internet Explorer, click the Safety button on the

toolbar, and then click Delete Browsing History• In the Delete Browsing History dialog box, add check

marks to the check boxes of those items you want to remove, remove check marks from check boxes of those items you do not want to remove, decide whether to keep InPrivate Filtering data, decide whether to Preserve Favorites website data, click the Delete button, and then close Internet Explorer


XPXPXPXPXPXPEnabling InPrivate Browsing• InPrivate Browsing, a new Internet Explorer 8 feature,

opens a new Web browser window, and as you browse the Web, Internet Explorer does not store any information about your browsing history, data and passwords you enter on forms, and Address bar and AutoComplete information

• Click Safety on the toolbar, and then click InPrivate Browsing


XPXPXPXPXPXPEnabling InPrivate Browsing


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®® Microsoft Windows 7 for Power Users Tutorial 7 Enhancing Your Computers Security