HELP DESK
Protect computer, data from ActiveX
By Kim Komando
You probably have encountered ActiveX controls on the Internet. Web pages that play music probably use them. ActiveX controls also can open Windows Media movies or Microsoft Word documents inside a browser window.
Microsoft developed ActiveX to provide an interactive Web experience, but these controls pose a security threat that outweighs their benefits. So it's important to protect your computer and data from them.
These small programs can do virtually anything on your computer. And when Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser downloads them from a Web site and runs them, they have access to your computer.
Other technologies, such as Java, also can run code within a browser. But Java programs have little access to Windows.
Problems with ActiveX have been a big contributor to the poor safety reputation of Internet Explorer. Firefox (www.mozilla.org), a free alternative Web browser, has captured a significant share of the browser market. It does not accept ActiveX controls, giving it a reputation for safety.
Unfortunately, you'd find life without ActiveX inconvenient. Windows Update, for instance, requires ActiveX. You can't use Firefox to update Windows. You have to switch to Internet Explorer. That is occasionally true of other Web sites, too.
If you switch to Firefox for safety reasons, you can install a plug-in, IEView, that lets you switch to Internet Explorer when necessary. This might occur when a page is optimized for Internet Explorer, and doesn't work properly in Firefox.
To find IEView, click Tools, Extensions. Click Get More Extensions.
To use IEView, right-click the page you want to open in Internet Explorer. Select View This Page in IE.
ActiveX Controls should be set to a safe level in Internet Explorer. You can do that by using the factory settings. Click Tools, Internet Options. Select the Security tab. Be sure the Internet zone is selected. Click Default Level.
You also can turn ActiveX off altogether. To do that, click Tools, Internet Options. Again, be sure the Internet zone is selected. Click Custom Level. You'll find seven settings for ActiveX. Disable them all. You could set them back to Default Level when you need them.
