Windows 7 / Getting Started

SmartScreen

Many Web sites attempt to trick users into providing credit card numbers, typing user names and passwords, or installing malicious software. Some Web sites are so effective at this that they can successfully deceive even IT professionals and security experts.

Internet Explorer 8 includes SmartScreen, which communicates with a Microsoft Web service to check the integrity of sites before users visit them. If a site is listed as potentially malicious, Internet Explorer 8 warns users before allowing them to connect to the site.

You can enable or disable the SmartScreen filter using the Administrative Templates \Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Compatibility View\Turn Off Managing SmartScreen Filter Group Policy setting. If you enable this policy and set Select SmartScreen Filter Mode to On, Internet Explorer will send all Web sites not already contained in the filter's allow list to Microsoft and then warn users if a site might be dangerous. If you set the filter mode to Off or don't enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer 8 prompts the user to decide whether to use SmartScreen the first time the user runs Internet Explorer 8.

One way to improve the security of SmartScreen is to enable the Administrative Templates \Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Compatibility View\Prevent Bypassing SmartScreen Filter Warnings Group Policy setting. When enabled, Internet Explorer 8 will prevent users from visiting any site that SmartScreen lists as potentially malicious. Users still might find a way around this by using a different Web browser or a mobile device without SmartScreen protection, but enabling the policy does reduce security risks.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Managing Windows Internet Explorer
  2. Internet Explorer 8 Improvements
  3. InPrivate Browsing
  4. InPrivate Filtering
  5. Compatibility View
  6. SmartScreen
  7. Domain Highlighting
  8. Tab Isolation
  9. Accelerators
  10. Improvements Previously Introduced in Internet Explorer 7
  11. User Interface Changes
  12. Tabbed Browsing
  13. Search Bar
  14. How to Create a Web Link to Add a Custom Search Provider
  15. How to Configure Custom Search Providers Using the Registry
  16. How to Configure Custom Search Providers Using Group Policy
  17. RSS Feeds
  18. Improved Standards Support
  19. Expanded Group Policy Settings
  20. Defending Against Malware
  21. How Protected Mode Improves Security
  22. How the Protected Mode Compatibility Layer Works
  23. How to Solve Protected Mode Incompatibilities
  24. URL-Handling Protection
  25. Address Bar Visibility
  26. Cross-Domain Scripting Attack Protection
  27. Controlling Browser Add-ons
  28. Add -on Manager Improvements
  29. Protecting Against Data Theft
  30. Security Status Bar
  31. How the Smart Screen Filter Works
  32. How to Configure Smart Screen Options
  33. Deleting Browsing History
  34. Blocking IDN Spoofing
  35. Security Zones
  36. Understanding Zones
  37. Configuring Zones on the Local Computer
  38. Configuring Zones Using Group Policy
  39. Network Protocol Lockdown
  40. Managing Internet Explorer Using Group Policy
  41. Group Policy Settings for Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8
  42. New Group Policy Settings for Internet Explorer 8
  43. Using the Internet Explorer Administration Kit
  44. Troubleshooting Internet Explorer Problems
  45. Internet Explorer Does Not Start
  46. An Add-on Does Not Work Properly
  47. Some Web Pages Do Not Display Properly
  48. Preventing Unwanted Toolbars
  49. The Home Page or Other Settings Have Changed