Easy Steps to Secure your Computer

Browser Security

Simply by browsing the web you can infect your computer with viruses and spyware. If your web browser is not up to date, or there is a security problem with it which has not been fixed, then a malicious web site can take control of your computer. Then your passwords and credit card numbers could be stolen, your system used to send junk email, attack other computers, delete files from your computer, etc.

Even if you think you only visit safe, respected web sites, you can still encounter problems. If you click a link in a junk email, visit a web site with advertising from a third party (most sites), or make a typo when entering a web address, you can very easily arrive at a malicious web site. As some other software also includes a web browser (for example Outlook uses Internet Explorer to display HTML email) then that is at risk too.

Minimize your Browsing Risks

1. Switch to a better web browser
2. Keep your web browser up to date
3. Think if prompted
4. Adjust web browser controls

Switch to a better web browser

Most people use Internet Explorer to browse the web, simply as Internet Explorer is built-in to Windows. Unfortunately, Internet Explorer is closely integrated into the Windows operating system and is susceptible to security compromises. Other web browsers are available - in particular Firefox is generally a much better web browser, and is available free of charge. Switching to Firefox is straightforward. Although not immune from security problems it has a far better record than Internet Explorer. OIT strongly recommends that you use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer. Firefox will limit your exposure to security vulnerabilities.

If you must use Internet Explorer (some sites are optimized for specific browsers), OIT recommends that you install the latest non-Beta version of Internet Explorer. The table below shows the minimum requirements to run IE7.

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Keep your web browser up to date

Firefox

Click Help, About to see which version of Firefox you have. If you have anything less than version 1.5, get a newer copy of Firefox. From 1.5 onwards Firefox has a good built-in autoupdate mechanism. Firefox will automatically download and install (or prompt you to install) security updates when available. You can check you have the latest version at any time by clicking Help, Check for Updates.

Internet Explorer

Visit "How to Update your Windows Operating System" to install all essential updates for Windows and make sure Automatic Updates are turned on (Control Panel, Automatic Updates).

Browser plug-ins

Whichever web browser you have, you probably also have plug-ins to provide audio, video, animation and other extra features. Common plug-ins include RealPlayer, Flash, and Java. These plug-ins are also a security risk and need to be kept up to date. Some provide auto update mechanisms, but for most you need to explicitly check yourself at intervals that you have the latest version.

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Think if prompted

If your web browser prompts you to run scripts, download files, or anything else other than just display a plain web page then say no, unless you are sure you understand what you are being asked to do and absolutely trust the web site.

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Adjust web browser controls

Internet Explorer has a 'Zones' system which can be used to classify web sites in to low, medium & high security risks. High risk sites can have dangerous features, such as scripting or ActiveX, disabled. See optional Internet Explorer security measures. However if you browse with most web sites in the High security zone some sites will not work. If possible switch to a different web browser instead.