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You can download the free Netscape browser at http://www.netscape.com or the free Internet Explorer browser at http://www.microsoft.com.

Making Your Browser Safe

Web programmers utilize a variety of techniques to enhance your web surfing experience and to simplify the administration of their website. Some sites, however, may employ dangerous programs or scripts that have the potential for making changes to your computer.

The trick then is make your browser safer than its default settings, which probably are not restrictive enough, and yet allow you to surf the web without preventing access to many sites.

Here are some tips on how to beef up your browser's security. Also available are settings recommended by industry expert Fred Langa, listed here.

Internet Explorer

  • Pull down the Tools menu, click "Internet Options."
  • Click on the Security tab.

    • (Click on thumbnail image to enlarge)

  • 3. Click "Custom Level" button. That will open "Security Settings."

    • (Click on thumbnail image to enlarge)

  • The pull down menu at the bottom should be on Medium, if not select Medium and click the Reset button.
  • Inside the Settings window is a big list of settings. Here are some recommended changes to make.

    Under "ActiveX controls and plug-ins"

    • Download signed ActiveX controls: Prompt
    • Download unsigned ActiveX controls: Disable
    • Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe: Disable
    • Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins: Prompt
    • Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting: Disable

    Under "Java"

    • Java permissions: High safety

    Under "Miscellaneous"

    • Access data sources across domains: Disable
    • Drag and drop or copy and paste files: Prompt
    • Installation of desktop items: Disable
    • Launching programs and files in an IFRAME: Disable
    • Navigate sub-frames across different domains: Disable
    • Software channel permissions: Medium

    Under "Scripting"

    • Active scripting: Prompt
    • Allow paste operations via script: Disable
    • Scripting of Java applets: Prompt

Netscape

  • Pull down the Edit menu, click "Preferences."
  • Select "Advanced" from the left menu.

    • (Click on thumbnail image to enlarge)

  • Make sure these settings are off.
    • Enable JavaScript for Mail and News
    • Send email address as anonymous FTP password
  • If you want high security, turn off:
    • Enable Java
    • Enable JavaScript

    *Note that turning off these settings may interfere with some websites.

  • Click Okay on all the windows and browse.

One last point is that browsers such as IE and Netscape are often found to contain bugs. It is highly recommended to check the home pages for these products to check for bug fixes or patches that repair security holes in the particular version that you are running; in many cases you may benefit by simply upgrading to a newer version.