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Browser Settings for Web Site Safety
Be Smart, Be Safe, But Don't be
Left Behind!
Protect Your Privacy Online
Some Safety Settings to Make in Your Browser
[Mozilla][Internet Explorer]
The following are step by step examples to make
safe settings in Mozilla, and Internet Explorer. Each type of browser
(Mozilla, Internet Explorer, Opera, etc.) has a different place to do
this with slightly different wording and check boxes. Each new version
of a browser may also may have different features, for example Netscape
Preferences are different than Mozilla preferences in that Mozilla
gives you more options than Netscape did.
Browser Settings for Mozilla (Netscape)(Version 1.7.8)
Delete your Cache, History, and Location bar
regularly. Manage Cookies regularly. Below are the basic methods for
doing this plus more in Mozilla.
Open the Netscape / Mozilla browser window:
- Click on Edit at the top of the browser window.
- Click on Preferences and the Preferences window opens.
- Click on the + sign in front of the word Navigator
- Highlight History
- Click on Clear History
- Click on Clear Location Bar
- Click on the + sign in front of Mail and Newsgroups
- Highlight Return Receipts
- Check "Never return a receipt" (Spammers will often
send test messages to addresses to see if they get a receipt when the
email is looked at, then they know it is a valid email).
- Click on the + sign in front of Privacy and Security
- Cookie Acceptance Policy:
- Check the box that says "Allow cookies based on privacy settings".
- Click on View
- Choose Custom
- Suggested First Party Cookie Settings:
- Suggested 3rd Party Cookie Settings:
- Reject all 3rd party cookies.
- Click on Ok
- Check "Accept for current session only", or,
"Ask for each cookie" (which will give you a prompt each time a web
site tries to set a cookie).
- Click on the Cookie Manager button
- In the "Stored Cookies" tab delete any sites
that look suspicious. If you delete All cookies it just means next time
you go to a web site it will have to set a new cookie. Some sites such
as Yahoo Mail may require you to enter your password again if you
have previously clicked the check box to remember ID. The ID
information is kept in a cookie file. It is not "smart" to use this
option.
- In the "Cookie Sites" tab delete any suspicious
sites especially those that mention ads, link exchange, stats,
statistics, biz, xxx, porn, etc. Deleting these cookies only means that
those sites will have to try to set another cookie.
- Click on the Close button when you have completed managing cookies.
- Highlight Images
- This is where you can disable images if you feel that you are receiving malware through images on some of the sites you visit.
- Highlight Popup Windows
- Block unrequested popup windows. Popup windows can contain malware.
- Highlight Forms
- This is where you would manage Form data that can be automatically entered into forms on the Internet.
- It is not a smart or secure thing to save this personal information on your computer.
- Uncheck save form data from web pages when completing forms.
- Highlight Passwords
- This is where you manage Passwords.
- Uncheck "Remember Passwords"
- Occasionally click the Password Manager button to make sure someone hasn't accidentally saved password information.
- Click on the + sign in front of Advanced
- Highlight Cache
- Click on the button to Clear Cache
Browser Settings for; Internet Explorer V6.0
Open the Internet Explorer (IE) window
- Click on Tools at the top of the browser window
- Click on Internet Options and the Internet Options window opens
- Click on the "General" tab
- Click on the "Delete Cookies" button
- Click on the "Delete Files" button
- Click on the "Clear History" button
- Click on the "Security" tab
- As you highlight the zones at the top (Internet, Local
intranet, Trusted sites, Restricted sites) you have the option of
setting the security level you want for each zone.
- Click on the "Privacy" tab
- Set the slider bar to the Privacy setting that you want.
As you move the slider bar you will see a brief description of what
each level will do.
- Click on the "Content" tab
- The Content Advisor helps you control the content that can be viewed in the browser.
- Personal Information
- AutoComplete is where you can set the browser to type
in the rest of an URL as you type it or fill in passwords or usernames
as you type them.
- Unclick Forms
- Unclick usernames and passwords
- Click the "Clear Forms" button
- Click the "Clear Passwords" button (You will now be
prompted for your passwords when entering some web sites. Enter the
password manually. Do not check any buttons that say "Remember password
on this computer".)
- Microsoft Personal Assistant
- This is where personal information (profile) about you is managed and kept in the Address Book.
- It is not smart to have personal information stored on the computer.
- Click on the "Advanced" tab (in addition to the defaults)
- Under Browsing:
- Unclick "Enable Install On Demand"
- Under Multimedia
- Unclick show pictures ONLY if you are visiting web sites that may have malware or spyware.
- Under Security (in addition to the defaults)
- Unclick "Enable Profile Assistant"
- Click "Warn if changing between secure and unsecured mode".
- Click "Warn if forms submittal is being redirected.
- Click Ok to exit the Internet Options window.
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