Installation and Settings Internet Explorer - Configuration browser for safety and privacy

Back to index 1)Settings internet explorer 6.0
2)Installation internet explorer
3)Installation patches

SETTINGS INTERNET EXPLORER 6.0

(source 1) (source 2) (source 3)

Use your right-mousebutton to click Internet Explorer. Choose option: "Properties"

General
1)Home page >"Address:" Don't leave Microsoft's URL here. (otherwise
it can keep track of the distribution of it's browser.)
2)Temporary Internet files >"Settings" >"Amount of disk space to use:" Move
the arrow to 1mb (click OK).
3)History >"Days to keep pages in history:" Set to 0.
Security >"Custom level"> (ActiveX is very unsafe. It can access everything the user is
able to access too. It can destroy your entire system. By disabling
it you wont miss anything relevant on a website)
A)Download signed ActiveX controls: disable
B)Download unsigned ActiveX controls: disable
C)Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe:
disable
D)Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins: disable
E)Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting: disable
F)File download: enable
G)Font download: prompt (Not necessary most of the
time. The contents are visible anyway)
H)Permission for Java: disable (Java regularly has
safetyleaks and sometimes deliberately built-in backdoors.
It is used for almost nothing except online banking.)
I)Access data sources across domains: prompt. (The
website then wants to get files from an other server and
not only from the server on which the website is saved.
In most cases you permit unless you feel there's a
hacker active)
J)Allow meta refresh: disable (Some sites
like Hotmail dont work without MetaRefresh, but for
your safety it's better to disable it)
K)Installation of desktop items: disable
L)Launching programs and files in an Iframe: disable
(To keep an overview about the origin of shown sites)
M)Navigate sub-frames across different domains: disable
(Otherwise the origin of shown sites will become unclear)
N)Software channel permissions: high safety
O)Submit nonencrypted form data: prompt
P)Userdata persistence: disable
Q)Active scripting: enable(/or prompt) (Javascript
enables hackers to watch the contents of your hard drive
or to falsify an address in the URL-field of your browser.
You can disable scripting, but a lot of websites are build
on scripting and then you wont see anything)
R)Allow paste operations via script: disable
S)Scripting of java applets: disable
T)User authentication: prompt for username and password.

When you're using an Internet Explorer older than version 6:
-Allow session cookies: ask/disable
(Only temporary information is left here. You have to enable
these cookies when you're using Hotmail)
-Allow stored cookies: disable Security >Choose option: "Trusted sites" >"Custom level" 1)Download unsigned ActiveX controls: disable
2)Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting: disable
3)Permission for java: high safety
4)Installation of desktop items: disable
5)Software channel permissions: high safety
6)Userdata persistence: disable
7)User authentication: prompt for username and password
Privacy
(At least move the slider to "high". The following settings are even better:)
Choose option: "Advanced"
-Override automatic cookie handling enable
-First-party cookies: Block
(These contain personally entered data or
your preferences for the visited site)
-Third-party cookies: Block
These come from sites you're not even visiting currently
It's never clear which data these cookies contain)
-Always allow session cookies disable
(These are only allowed during your current Internet-session.
They are removed when the Internet-session is terminated
You have to enable these cookies when you're
using Hotmail
Cookies are connected to adds and sometimes even to
creditcardnumbers) Content
-AutoComplete >Disable "Use autocomplete for" everything (you may choose
to enable web addresses). Then press: "Clear forms" and "Clear passwords"
-My profile >Remove all information you can find here
Connections
-Click option: "Never dial a connection" (So that programs
cannot connect to the Internet unasked and on their own.) Only the very first
time you go to the internet using Internet Explorer you have to choose
another option
-Double-click your Internet connection(s) (in window)
At "Dial-up settings" make sure the password-field is empty. Some people
may want to remove their username as well.
Advanced A)Disable script debugging: enable
B)Enable install on demand (internet explorer): disable
C)Enable install on demand (other): disable
D)Enable offline items to be synchronized on a schedule: disable
E)Enable third-party browser extensions: disable
F)Use inline autocomplete for web addresses: disable
G)Use inline autocomplete in windows explorer: disable
H)Use http1.1: enable
I)Java jit compiler: enable
J)Check for publisher's certificate revocation: enable
K)Check for server certificate revocation: enable
L)Do not save encrypted pages to disk: enable
M)Empty temporary internet files folder when browser is closed: enable
N)Enable integrated windows authentication: disable
O)Enable profile assistent: disable
PCT1.0, SSL2.0, SSL3.0 and TSL1.0 are all different ways of encryption
which you need to enable so you can use them when necessary.
P)Warn about invalid site certificates: enable
Q)Warn if changing between secure and not secure mode: enable
R)Warn if forms submittal is being redirected: enable
CLICK: APPLY

INSTALLATION INTERNET EXPLORER:

You never know which information is sent to Microsoft when downloading
Internet Explorer (e.g. about installed software). There is a way to work
around this problem. This way you also limit the chances for spionage.

-Go to microsoft.com/downloads and choose at: "Search for a download" the
internet explorer. (Click go and choose the version you want)
-Click: "download" and save the file "ie6setup.exe" in My Documents.
-Go to: My Documents and create a new file. Call it something like:
InternetExplorer6SetUpFiles.
-Double-click the "ie6setup.exe" file. Choose "Install minimum, or customize your browser"
(Click next)
(-You may choose to configure the files you want to be downloaded or choose the default
Microsoft options.)
-Click: "Advanced" and choose: "Download only" (Click Ok and Next)
-At: "Folder to download installation files:" you click: "Browse". Here you open the created
file: InternetExplorer6SetUpFiles.
-At: "Type of system to install on:" you choose your system or - if you want - you can choose
all systems at once. (Click Next)

-When you're finished downloading, you now can run "iesetup.exe" again and the installation
is now started from the downloaded files on your computer.
Now you only have to choose the option Install minimum, or customize your browser (Click Next 2x)

IMPORTANT: INSTALLATION PATCHES/ SECURITY UPDATES

Safety-leaks for Internet Explorer are regularly found. They can for example allow an attacker
to compromise systems with Internet Explorer installed.
To optimize your protection against this Microsoft creates socalled PATCHES. These are
security updates for Internet Explorer which you can download from:
microsoft.com/downloads If you're online a lot I'd suggest
to regularly check for updates (Just type the word PATCH in the "Keywords" window)
Never use any of the AUTOMATIC UPDATE SERVICES