Windows 7 Made Simple

Protecting Yourself on the Web

The Web provides a direct route into your computer, so in addition to the security features in Windows 7, IE provides a number of features to protect your data, identity, and privacy on the Web. In an ideal world we could visit any web site we want, download anything we want, and not be bothered or endangered. Unfortunately, all sorts of dangers lurk on the Web: phishing web sites that try to trick you into revealing your user name and password for your online banking, viruses and spyware that hitchhike on free web downloads, and sites that gather information about your web viewing patterns.

NOTE: IE security settings are not enough by themselves to protect your computer. See Chapter 16 to learn how to set up antivirus, ...