7.4. Web and Email

The Web makes our world simultaneously bigger and smaller; it's hard to imagine computing—or even a meal—without a web browser within reach. It's also hard to forget everything that comes along for the ride, such as pop ups, spam, and the constant reminders that "your privacy may be at risk."

7.4.1. Lock Down Internet Explorer

Over the years, Microsoft has fixed dozens of security holes in Internet Explorer, and if you've been using the Windows Update feature regularly, you already have the latest and greatest fixes installed. But the larger issue is IE's underlying design—and its cozy connection with the underlying operating system—which permits any web site to install software on your PC. At first, web site designers used this capability sparingly, mostly to install widgets and small helper programs to add trivial features to their pages. But it didn't take long for unscrupulous hackers and greedy corporate executives to learn how to exploit Internet Explorer's open nature, which is why we now have spyware, adware, browser hijackers, pop ups, and other nasty surprises. Despite these problems, Microsoft has too much corporate strategy tied up in this design to change it now, which leaves you with two choices: hobble Internet Explorer by turning off the most dangerous features, or use a different browser (or both).