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Internet Security, part I: The Basics The Internet may feel like a place where you roam anonymously and privately, especially if you access it from your own home. However, with every connection to the Internet, your computer and other computers actively exchange information. So just how private and secure are these communications? That depends primarily on the sites you visit and your Web browser's security features. Click a link below for information about everyday security issues on the Internet. Look for more issues regarding computer viruses and your privacy in Internet Security Part 2: Advanced Issues.
Security with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 and 5.5 Microsoft® Internet Explorer version 5.0 and 5.5 allows you to take full advantage of the powerful technology on World Wide Web sites you trust, while reducing the risk of harm from sites you don't know much about. Security zones You can assign sites to one of four security zones—local intranet zone, trusted sites zone, Internet zone, or restricted sites zone—and determine the level of security you want for each zone. Select from high, medium, or low security, or customize dozens of aspects of the security level of each zone. Designate security settings, including downloadable software and cookies. More features The security features of Internet Explorer 5.0 and 5.5 also let you do these things:
How often do you hand your credit card to a waiter in a restaurant or give out your account number over the telephone when ordering products? Such actions probably pose a greater security risk than charging items online—at least from trusted Web sites. Certificates If you have doubts about providing your credit card number or other personal information on a company's Web site, check for the site's certificate. With Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 and 5.5, on the File menu, click Properties and then click Certificates. A Web site certificate is an online document that certifies the site's identity so you know your information is going where you intend it to go. Weighing the risk There is a chance that a thief could intercept your credit card number as it travels from your computer to the Web site's server, but it's a faint possibility. In fact, it's much more difficult to carry out such a scheme online than it is in the real world where your credit card number is printed on statements and receipts that are mailed, filed, or thrown away. Some sites may work with your browser to encrypt, or encode, your transaction information so that, if it's intercepted, it can't be read.
Banking and investing Online banks and investment services use encryption to protect the information in your transactions. Before information leaves the Web site's server for your computer, or vice versa, it's turned into code. After it reaches the appropriate destination, it's decoded. While the information travels over the Internet—where it may be vulnerable to being intercepted by someone with malicious intentions—it's essentially gibberish. Two levels of encryption Servers and Web browsers use 40-bit or 128-bit encryption. With 40-bit encryption, there are many billions of possible keys to unlock the code for each unique transmission, and only one of them works. With 128-bit encryption, there are 300 billion trillion times as many possible keys as with 40-bit encryption. How to check for encryption Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 and 5.5 lets you know when encryption is in use by displaying a padlock icon along the bottom of the Internet Explorer window. Here's how you can find out a Web page's encryption level with Internet Explorer:
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