IE7’s Security Zones User Interface Part I

In a previous article entitled Secure Computers with Internet Explorer 7’s Security Zones, you learned about the four security zones in Internet Explorer 7. In this series of articles, we’ll look more closely at the user interface for configuring IE7’s Security Zones.

The user interface for configuring IE7’s Security Zones feature is very straightforward. To begin configuring IE7’s Security Zones, pull down the Tools menu and select the Internet Options command. When you see the Internet Options dialog box, select the Security tab.

Each of the four Security Zones is represented by an icon in the panel at the top of the tab. As you click each icon, you’ll see the preset security level setting that applies to that zone. You can adjust the security level by moving the slider to the notches that apply to each of the four predefined settings.

The Sites button is unavailable in the Internet zone; clicking that button in any of the other zones will display another dialog box with which you can add specific sites to that zone. For example, selecting the Trusted Sites zone and clicking the Sites button will display the dialog box that lets you add specific Web sites to the Trusted Sites zone. You can then easily add a Web site to the zone by typing the address and then clicking the Add button.

At the bottom of the Security Level For This Zone panel you will see the Custom Level button. When you click this button, you’ll see the Security Settings dialog box where you can configure individual security settings listed. In the next installment of this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of these individuals security settings.