Excellent point and comment Jay. Like you just mentioned, these features can be turned off and usually are, and not always for good reasons. Some users may feel that these security features are annoying or get in their way somehow. That’s the main reason why some user’s PC get infected with malware while others rarely do. Another reason is that some administrators don’t have full knowledge about the principles behind a feature and don’t understand the risks involved.
My suggestion is that if a user doesn’t understand about the risks of turning these features off, leave them alone. Let them set to default, and be aware of applications that ask for a feature to be disabled.
Here’s another reason to run IE7 with default settings: URL-handling protections.
Hackers can take advantage of browser’s internal code design to get into your system, and not with good intentions I may add. This can be done by clicking a link that may reference a malicious URL. As the browser execute the process of parsing or defining the URL, the system’s buffer overflows and executes codes that hackers want to install. Browsers can prevent this by issuing updates as each attack is discovered and the root cause identified, rewriting its code every time an attack occurs.
Microsoft designed IE7 to automatically rewrite the baseline application code providing better security and minimizing possible hacker attacks to your PC. This is important, not just to prevent the attack, but also due to the unfortunate nature that hackers are always looking for ways to damage your system or steal your personal information or identity. |