Connie's Ramblings

In light of more and more ‘drive-by virus’ – malware which is loaded onto your computer just by you visiting a website with no action or knowledge on your part – a few weeks ago I sent out an email to friends, family and clients regarding ActiveX and figured I should post it on my blog as well.

This is for anyone using Internet Explorer 9. Previous versions of Internet Explorer do not have the filter function. Firefox, Chrome etc do not use ActiveX.

By default, Internet Explorer allows all Active X content to be run. Active X controls are powerful browser plugins that enable many rich web experiences such as video playback etc… they can however also install malware onto your machine. Internet Explorer contains an “ActiveX Filtering” which puts YOU in control as to what ActiveX content is run on your computer. So if you do not trust the site – simply leave the filtering in place and  the plugin will not be run lessening the chance of possible malware being installed on your computer.

How to turn ActiveX Filtering On

To enable ActiveX Filtering click on the “Tools Menu” and go to:

Tools > Safety > ActiveX Filtering

Make sure there is a check mark next to “ActiveX Filtering” Continue reading “Computer Security – IE’s ActiveX Filtering”