Malware Protection In Vista Part III

The second installment of this article described how Windows Defender and the Malicious Software Removal tool protect your computer. Vista does not stop there and includes several other features that are designed to protect your computer.

Software Restriction Policies
Software Restriction Policies are yet another way that you can protect your computer from malware. You can use them to control what software users can run on a computer and prevent certain executables from running.

Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer has its own set of security options that can be used in conjunction with the other technologies discussed to protect your computer. IE7 in Vista now operates in a quarantined corner of the operating systems, where it can no longer allow spyware, adware, and various malware threats to have an open door into the throne room.

Protected Mode is enabled from the Internet Options window’s Security tab. This feature prevents malicious users from changing any files or settings without your explicit permission. It is enabled by default for all security zones, except the Trusted Site zone.

IE 7 protects against phishing scams through the Phishing Filter. It is designed to protect against phony Web sites that attempt to gather personal information about you when you are online. The tool requires little to no configuration. Once it is enabled through the Internet Properties window, it will run in the background without your intervention.

Windows Firewall
The Windows Firewall is a crucial component of your defense strategy. This is becoming more and more important as people store personal information on their computers such as bank account numbers, credit card data, tax information, and so on.

By implementing a firewall, you can close the door to your local computer and private network so intruders cannot get in, but you can still get out. The Windows Firewall with Advanced Security allows you to filter both inbound and outbound traffic.

In Vista, the firewall is now more advanced because it lets you create and apply specialized rules depending on the type of network you are connected to. Windows Firewall with Advanced Security supports three different profiles that are based on three common environments: Domain, Public and Private. The profile that you apply will be based on the network you are connected to. If you connect your computer directly to a Public network such as the Internet, the Public profile should be applied.

Windows Security Center
The Windows Security Center should be your first stop in checking your defense against malware. The Security Center provides a quick way of checking the status of various security options and all the pertinent security settings used to protect your computer against malware are available from this interface.