Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 STIG SCAP Benchmark

This parameter warns users if the certificate being presented by the website is invalid. Since server certificates are used to validate the identity of the web server it is critical to warn the user of a potential issue with the certificate being presented by the web server. This setting aids to prevent spoofing attacks.

Active X controls can contain potentially malicious code and must only be allowed to be downloaded from trusted sites. Signed code is better than unsigned code in that it may be easier to determine its author, but it is still potentially harmful, especially when coming from an untrusted zone. This policy setting allows you to manage whether users may download signed ActiveX controls from a page in the zone. If you enable this policy, users can download signed controls without user intervention. If you select Prompt in the drop-down box, users are queried whether to download controls signed by untrusted publishers. Code signed by trusted publishers is silently downloaded. If you disable the policy setting, signed controls cannot be downloaded.

Unsigned code is potentially harmful, especially when coming from an untrusted zone. This policy setting allows you to manage whether users may download unsigned ActiveX controls from the zone. If you enable this policy setting, users can run unsigned controls without user intervention. If you select "Prompt" in the drop-down box, users are queried to choose whether to allow the unsigned control to run. If you disable this policy setting, users cannot run unsigned controls. If you do not configure this policy setting, users cannot run unsigned controls.

ActiveX controls that are not marked safe for scripting should not be executed. Although this is not a complete security measure for a control to be marked safe for scripting, if a control is not marked safe, it should not be initialized and executed. This setting causes both unsafe and safe controls to be initialized and scripted, ignoring the Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting option. This increases the risk of malicious code being loaded and executed by the browser. If you enable this policy setting, ActiveX controls are run, loaded with parameters and scripted without setting object safety for untrusted data or scripts. If you disable this policy setting, ActiveX controls that cannot be made safe are not loaded with parameters or scripted. This setting is not recommended, except for secure and administered zones.

Java applications could contain malicious code; sites located in this security zone are more likely to be hosted by malicious individuals. This policy setting allows you to manage permissions for Java applets. If you enable this policy setting, options can be chosen from the drop-down box. Use of the Custom permission will control permissions settings individually. Use of the Low Safety permission enables applets to perform all operations. Use of the Medium Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox (an area in memory outside of which the program cannot make calls), plus adds capabilities like scratch space (a safe and secure storage area on the client computer) and a user-controlled file I/O. Use of the High Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox. If you disable this policy setting, Java applets cannot run. If you do not configure this policy setting, the permission is set to High Safety.

The ability to access data zones across domains could cause the user to unknowingly access content hosted on an unauthorized server. Access to data sources across multiple domains must be controlled based upon the site being browsed. This policy setting allows you to manage whether Internet Explorer can access data from another security zone using the Microsoft XML Parser (MSXML) or ActiveX Data Objects (ADO).

Content hosted on sites located in the Internet zone are likely to contain malicious payloads and therefore this feature should be blocked for this zone. Drag and drop or copy and paste files must have a level of protection based upon the site being accessed.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether applications may be run and files may be downloaded from an IFRAME reference in the HTML of the pages in this zone. Launching of programs in IFRAME must have a level of protection based upon the site being accessed. If you enable this policy setting, applications can run and files can be downloaded from IFRAMEs on the pages in this zone without user intervention. If you disable this setting, users are prevented from running applications and downloading files from IFRAMEs on the pages in this zone.

Frames that navigate across different domains are a security concern, because the user may think they are accessing pages on one site while they are actually accessing pages on another site. It is possible that a website hosting malicious content could use this feature in a manner similar to cross-site scripting (XSS). This policy setting allows you to manage the opening of sub-frames and access of applications across different domains.

Userdata persistence must have a level of protection based upon the site being accessed. It is possible for sites hosting malicious content to exploit this feature as part of an attack against visitors browsing the site. This policy setting allows you to manage the preservation of information in the browser's history, in Favorites, in an XML store, or directly within a web page saved to disk. When a user returns to a persisted page, the state of the page can be restored if this policy setting is not appropriately configured.

A malicious script could use the clipboard in an undesirable manner, for example, if the user had recently copied confidential information to the clipboard while editing a document, a malicious script could harvest that information. It might be possible to exploit other vulnerabilities in order to send the harvested data to the attacker. Allow paste operations via script must have a level of protection based upon the site being accessed.

Users could submit credentials to servers operated by malicious individuals who could then attempt to connect to legitimate servers with those captured credentials. Care must be taken with user credentials, automatic logon performance, and how default Windows credentials are passed to the websites. This policy setting allows management of settings for logon options. If you enable this policy setting, you can choose from varying logon options. “Anonymous logon” disables HTTP authentication and uses the guest account only for the Common Internet File System (CIFS) protocol. “Prompt for user name and password” queries users for user IDs and passwords. After a user is queried, these values can be used silently for the remainder of the session. “Automatic logon only in Intranet zone” queries users for user IDs and passwords in other zones. After a user is queried, these values can be used silently for the remainder of the session. “Automatic logon with current user name and password” attempts logon using Windows NT Challenge Response. If Windows NT Challenge Response is supported by the server, the logon uses the user's network user name and password for login. If Windows NT Challenge Response is not supported by the server, the user is queried to provide the user name and password. If you disable this policy setting, logon is set to “Automatic logon only in Intranet zone”. If you do not configure this policy setting, logon is set to “Automatic logon only in Intranet zone”. The most secure option is to configure this setting to “Enabled”; “Anonymous logon”, but configuring this setting to “Enabled”; “Prompt for user name and password”, provides a reasonable balance between security and usability.

Java applications could contain malicious code. This policy setting allows you to manage permissions for Java applets. If you enable this policy setting, options can be chosen from the drop-down box. Use of the Custom permission will control permissions settings individually. Use of the Low Safety permission enables applets to perform all operations. Use of the Medium Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox (an area in memory outside of which the program cannot make calls), plus adds capabilities like scratch space (a safe and secure storage area on the client computer) and a user-controlled file I/O. Use of the High Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox. If you disable this policy setting, Java applets cannot run. If you do not configure this policy setting, the permission is set to High Safety.

This policy setting determines whether Internet Explorer runs Anti-Malware programs against ActiveX controls, to check if they're safe to load on pages. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer won't check with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. If you disable this policy setting, Internet Explorer always checks with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. If you don't configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer won't check with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. Users can turn this behavior on or off, using Internet Explorer Security settings.

Java applications could contain malicious code. This policy setting allows you to manage permissions for Java applets. If you enable this policy setting, options can be chosen from the drop-down box. Use of the Custom permission will control permissions settings individually. Use of the Low Safety permission enables applets to perform all operations. Use of the Medium Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox (an area in memory outside of which the program cannot make calls), plus adds capabilities like scratch space (a safe and secure storage area on the client computer) and a user-controlled file I/O. Use of the High Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox. If you disable this policy setting, Java applets cannot run. If you do not configure this policy setting, the permission is set to High Safety

This policy setting determines whether Internet Explorer runs Anti-Malware programs against ActiveX controls, to check if they're safe to load on pages. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer won't check with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. If you disable this policy setting, Internet Explorer always checks with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. If you don't configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer won't check with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. Users can turn this behavior on or off, using Internet Explorer Security settings.

This policy setting allows you to set options for dragging content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in the same window. If you enable this policy setting, users can drag content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in the same window. Users cannot change this setting. If you disable this policy setting, users cannot drag content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in the same window. Users cannot change this setting in the Internet Options dialog box. If you do not configure this policy setting, users cannot drag content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in the same window. Users can change this setting in the Internet Options dialog box.

This policy setting allows you to set options for dragging content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in different windows. If you enable this policy setting, users can drag content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in different windows. Users cannot change this setting. If you enable this policy setting, users cannot drag content from one domain to a different domain when both the source and destination are in different windows. Users cannot change this setting. If you do not configure this policy setting, users cannot drag content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in different windows. Users can change this setting in the Internet Options dialog box.

Users often choose to install software such as ActiveX controls that are not permitted by their organization's security policy. Such software can pose significant security and privacy risks to networks. This policy setting enables blocking of ActiveX control installation prompts for Internet Explorer processes. If you enable this policy setting, prompts for ActiveX control installations will be blocked for Internet Explorer processes. If you disable this policy setting, prompts for ActiveX control installations will not be blocked and these prompts will be displayed to users. If you do not configure this policy setting, the user's preference will be used to determine whether to block ActiveX control installations for Internet Explorer processes.

Users often choose to install software such as ActiveX controls that are not permitted by their organization's security policy. Such software can pose significant security and privacy risks to networks. This policy setting enables blocking of ActiveX control installation prompts for Internet Explorer processes. If you enable this policy setting, prompts for ActiveX control installations will be blocked for Internet Explorer processes. If you disable this policy setting, prompts for ActiveX control installations will not be blocked and these prompts will be displayed to users. If you do not configure this policy setting, the user's preference will be used to determine whether to block ActiveX control installations for Internet Explorer processes.

This policy setting allows you to set options for dragging content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in the same window. If you enable this policy setting, users can drag content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in the same window. Users cannot change this setting. If you disable this policy setting, users cannot drag content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in the same window. Users cannot change this setting in the Internet Options dialog box. If you do not configure this policy setting, users cannot drag content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in the same window. Users can change this setting in the Internet Options dialog box.

This policy setting determines whether Internet Explorer runs Anti-Malware programs against ActiveX controls, to check if they're safe to load on pages. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer won't check with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. If you disable this policy setting, Internet Explorer always checks with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. If you don't configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer always checks with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. Users can turn this behavior on or off, using Internet Explorer Security settings.

This policy setting determines whether Internet Explorer runs Anti-Malware programs against ActiveX controls, to check if they're safe to load on pages. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer won't check with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. If you disable this policy setting, Internet Explorer always checks with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. If you don't configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer always checks with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. Users can turn this behavior on or off, using Internet Explorer Security settings.

This policy setting determines whether the user can bypass warnings from SmartScreen Filter. SmartScreen Filter prevents the user from browsing to or downloading from sites that are known to host malicious content. SmartScreen Filter also prevents the execution of files that are known to be malicious. If you enable this policy setting, SmartScreen Filter warnings block the user. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the user can bypass SmartScreen Filter warnings.

This policy setting determines whether the user can bypass warnings from SmartScreen Filter. SmartScreen Filter warns the user about executable files that Internet Explorer users do not commonly download from the internet. If you enable this policy setting, SmartScreen Filter warnings block the user. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the user can bypass SmartScreen Filter warnings.

This policy setting allows you to prevent the installation of ActiveX controls on a per-user basis. If you enable this policy setting, ActiveX controls cannot be installed on a per-user basis. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, ActiveX controls can be installed on a per-user basis.

This policy setting prevents the user from ignoring Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) certificate errors that interrupt browsing (such as “expired”, “revoked”, or “name mismatch” errors) in Internet Explorer. If you enable this policy setting, the user cannot continue browsing. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the user can choose to ignore certificate errors and continue browsing.

This policy setting controls whether SmartScreen Filter scans pages in this zone for malicious content. If you enable this policy setting, SmartScreen Filter scans pages in this zone for malicious content. If you disable this policy setting, SmartScreen Filter does not scan pages in this zone for malicious content. If you do not configure this policy setting, the user can choose whether SmartScreen Filter scans pages in this zone for malicious content.

This policy setting controls whether SmartScreen Filter scans pages in this zone for malicious content. If you enable this policy setting, SmartScreen Filter scans pages in this zone for malicious content. If you disable this policy setting, SmartScreen Filter does not scan pages in this zone for malicious content. If you do not configure this policy setting, the user can choose whether SmartScreen Filter scans pages in this zone for malicious content.

ActiveX controls that are not marked safe for scripting should not be executed. Although this is not a complete security measure for a control to be marked safe for scripting, if a control is not marked safe, it should not be initialized and executed. This setting causes both unsafe and safe controls to be initialized and scripted, ignoring the Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting option. This increases the risk of malicious code being loaded and executed by the browser. If you enable this policy setting, ActiveX controls are run, loaded with parameters and scripted without setting object safety for untrusted data or scripts. If you disable this policy setting, ActiveX controls that cannot be made safe are not loaded with parameters or scripted. This setting is not recommended, except for secure and administered zones.

ActiveX controls that are not marked safe for scripting should not be executed. Although this is not a complete security measure for a control to be marked safe for scripting, if a control is not marked safe, it should not be initialized and executed. This setting causes both unsafe and safe controls to be initialized and scripted, ignoring the Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting option. This increases the risk of malicious code being loaded and executed by the browser. If you enable this policy setting, ActiveX controls are run, loaded with parameters and scripted without setting object safety for untrusted data or scripts. If you disable this policy setting, ActiveX controls that cannot be made safe are not loaded with parameters or scripted. This setting is not recommended, except for secure and administered zones.

This feature keeps ActiveX controls up to date and helps make them safer to use in Internet Explorer. Many ActiveX controls are not automatically updated as new versions are released. It is very important to keep ActiveX controls up to date because malicious or compromised webpages can target security flaws in out-of-date ActiveX controls.

This feature keeps ActiveX controls up to date and helps make them safer to use in Internet Explorer. Many ActiveX controls are not automatically updated as new versions are released. It is very important to keep ActiveX controls up to date because malicious or compromised webpages can target security flaws in out-of-date ActiveX controls.

This policy setting determines whether users can run the Tabular Data Control (TDC) ActiveX control, based on security zone. By default, the TDC ActiveX Control is disabled in the Internet and Restricted Sites security zones. If you enable this policy setting, users will not be able to run the TDC ActiveX control from all sites in the specified zone.

ActiveX controls can contain potentially malicious code and must only be allowed to be downloaded from trusted sites. Signed code is better than unsigned code in that it may be easier to determine its author, but it is still potentially harmful, especially when coming from an untrusted zone.

This policy setting determines whether users can run the Tabular Data Control (TDC) ActiveX control, based on security zone. By default, the TDC ActiveX Control is disabled in the Internet and Restricted Sites security zones. If you enable this policy setting, users won’t be able to run the TDC ActiveX control from all sites in the specified zone.

This policy setting allows the management of whether VBScript can be run on pages from the specified zone in Internet Explorer. By selecting "Enable" in the drop-down box, VBScript can run without user intervention. By selecting "Prompt" in the drop-down box, users are asked to choose whether to allow VBScript to run. By selecting "Disable" in the drop-down box, VBScript is prevented from running. If this policy setting is not configured or disabled, VBScript will run without user intervention.

Unsigned code is potentially harmful, especially when coming from an untrusted zone. ActiveX controls can contain potentially malicious code and must only be allowed to be downloaded from trusted sites. They must also be digitally signed.

This policy setting allows the management of whether VBScript can be run on pages from the specified zone in Internet Explorer. By selecting "Enable" in the drop-down box, VBScript can run without user intervention. By selecting "Prompt" in the drop-down box, users are asked to choose whether to allow VBScript to run. By selecting "Disable" in the drop-down box, VBScript is prevented from running. If this policy setting is not configured or disabled, VBScript will run without user intervention.

ActiveX controls not marked safe for scripting should not be executed. Although this is not a complete security measure for a control to be marked safe for scripting, if a control is not marked safe, it should not be initialized and executed.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether ActiveX controls and plug-ins can be run on pages from the specified zone. ActiveX controls not marked as safe should not be executed. If you enable this policy setting, controls and plug-ins can run without user intervention. If you disable this policy setting, controls and plug-ins are prevented from running.

This policy setting allows management of whether ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting can interact with a script. If you enable this policy setting, script interaction can occur automatically without user intervention. ActiveX controls not marked as safe for scripting should not be executed. Although this is not a complete security measure for a control to be marked safe for scripting, if a control is not marked safe, it should not be initialized and executed.

Sites located in the Restricted Sites Zone are more likely to contain malicious payloads and therefore downloads from this zone should be blocked. Files should not be able to be downloaded from sites that are considered restricted. This policy setting allows you to manage whether file downloads are permitted from the zone. This option is determined by the zone of the page with the link causing the download, not the zone from which the file is delivered.

Java applications could contain malicious code; sites located in this security zone are more likely to be hosted by malicious individuals. This policy setting allows you to manage permissions for Java applets. If you enable this policy setting, options can be chosen from the drop-down box. Use of the Custom permission will control permissions settings individually. Use of the Low Safety permission enables applets to perform all operations. Use of the Medium Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox (an area in memory outside of which the program cannot make calls), plus adds capabilities like scratch space (a safe and secure storage area on the client computer) and a user-controlled file I/O. Use of the High Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox. If you disable this policy setting, Java applets cannot run. If you do not configure this policy setting, the permission is set to High Safety.

The ability to access data zones across domains could cause the user to unknowingly access content hosted on an unauthorized server. This policy setting allows you to manage whether Internet Explorer can access data from another security zone using the Microsoft XML Parser (MSXML) or ActiveX Data Objects (ADO).

It is possible that users will unknowingly be redirected to a site hosting malicious content. 'Allow META REFRESH' must have a level of protection based upon the site being browsed. This policy setting allows you to manage whether a user's browser can be redirected to another web page if the author of the web page uses the Meta Refresh setting to redirect browsers to another web page.

Content hosted on sites located in the Restricted Sites zone are more likely to contain malicious payloads and therefore this feature should be blocked for this zone. Drag and drop or copy and paste files must have a level of protection based upon the site being accessed.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether applications may be run and files may be downloaded from an IFRAME reference in the HTML of the pages in this zone. Launching of programs in IFRAME must have a level of protection based upon the site being accessed. If you enable this policy setting, applications can run and files can be downloaded from IFRAMEs on the pages in this zone without user intervention. If you disable this setting, users are prevented from running applications and downloading files from IFRAMEs on the pages in this zone.

Frames navigating across different domains are a security concern, because the user may think they are accessing pages on one site while they are actually accessing pages on another site. It is possible that a website hosting malicious content could use this feature in a manner similar to cross-site scripting (XSS). This policy setting allows you to manage the opening of sub-frames and access of applications across different domains.

Userdata persistence must have a level of protection based upon the site being accessed. This policy setting allows you to manage the preservation of information in the browser's history, in Favorites, in an XML store, or directly within a web page saved to disk. When a user returns to a persisted page, the state of the page can be restored if this policy setting is not appropriately configured.

Active scripts hosted on sites located in this zone are more likely to contain malicious code. Active scripting must have a level of protection based upon the site being accessed. This policy setting allows you to manage whether script code on pages in the zone are run.

A malicious script could use the clipboard in an undesirable manner, for example, if the user had recently copied confidential information to the clipboard while editing a document, a malicious script could harvest that information. It might be possible to exploit other vulnerabilities in order to send the harvested data to the attacker. Allow paste operations via script must have a level of protection based upon the site being accessed.

Users could submit credentials to servers operated by malicious individuals who could then attempt to connect to legitimate servers with those captured credentials. Care must be taken with user credentials, automatic logon performance, and how default Windows credentials are passed to the websites. This policy setting allows management of settings for logon options. If you enable this policy setting, you can choose from varying logon options. “Anonymous logon” disables HTTP authentication and uses the guest account only for the Common Internet File System (CIFS) protocol. “Prompt for user name and password” queries users for user IDs and passwords. After a user is queried, these values can be used silently for the remainder of the session. “Automatic logon only in Intranet zone” queries users for user IDs and passwords in other zones. After a user is queried, these values can be used silently for the remainder of the session. “Automatic logon with current user name and password” attempts logon using Windows NT Challenge Response. If Windows NT Challenge Response is supported by the server, the logon uses the user's network user name and password for login. If Windows NT Challenge Response is not supported by the server, the user is queried to provide the user name and password. If you disable this policy setting, logon is set to “Automatic logon only in Intranet zone”. If you do not configure this policy setting, logon is set to “Automatic logon only in Intranet zone”. The most secure option is to configure this setting to “Enabled”; “Anonymous logon”. This will prevent users from submitting credentials to servers in this security zone.

This setting specifies the number of days that Internet Explorer keeps track of the pages viewed in the History List. The delete Browsing History option can be accessed using Tools, Internet Options, "General" tab, and then click Settings under Browsing History. If you enable this policy setting, a user cannot set the number of days that Internet Explorer keeps track of the pages viewed in the History List. The number of days that Internet Explorer keeps track of the pages viewed in the History List must be specified. Users will not be able to delete browsing history. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, a user can set the number of days that Internet Explorer tracks views of pages in the History List. Users can delete browsing history.

This setting prevents users from adding sites to various security zones. Users should not be able to add sites to different zones, as this could allow them to bypass security controls of the system. If you do not configure this policy setting, users will be able to add or remove sites from the Trusted Sites and Restricted Sites zones at will and change settings in the Local Intranet zone. This configuration could allow sites that host malicious mobile code to be added to these zones, and users could execute the code.

Users who change their Internet Explorer security settings could enable the execution of dangerous types of code from the Internet and websites listed in the Restricted Sites zone in the browser. This setting prevents users from changing the Internet Explorer policies on the machine. Policy changes should be made by administrators only, so this setting should be enabled. If you enable this policy setting, you disable the "Custom level" button and "Security" level for this zone slider on the Security tab in the Internet Options dialog box. If this policy setting is disabled or not configured, users will be able to change the settings for security zones. It prevents users from changing security zone policy settings that are established by the administrator.

Users who change their Internet Explorer security settings could enable the execution of dangerous types of code from the Internet and websites listed in the Restricted Sites zone in the browser. This setting enforces consistent security zone settings to all users of the computer. Security zones control browser behavior at various websites and it is desirable to maintain a consistent policy for all users of a machine. This policy setting affects how security zone changes apply to different users. If you enable this policy setting, changes that one user makes to a security zone will apply to all users of that computer. If this policy setting is disabled or not configured, users of the same computer are allowed to establish their own security zone settings.

This policy setting turns off the Security Settings Check feature, which checks Internet Explorer security settings to determine when the settings put Internet Explorer at risk. If you enable this policy setting, the security settings check will not be performed. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the security settings check will be performed.

Microsoft ActiveX controls and file downloads often have digital signatures attached that certify the file's integrity and the identity of the signer (creator) of the software. Such signatures help ensure unmodified software is downloaded and the user can positively identify the signer to determine whether you trust them enough to run their software.

This policy setting determines whether Internet Explorer 11 uses 64-bit processes (for greater security) or 32-bit processes (for greater compatibility) when running in Enhanced Protected Mode on 64-bit versions of Windows.Important: Some ActiveX controls and toolbars may not be available when 64-bit processes are used. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer 11 will use 64-bit tab processes when running in Enhanced Protected Mode on 64-bit versions of Windows. If you disable this policy setting, Internet Explorer 11 will use 32-bit tab processes when running in Enhanced Protected Mode on 64-bit versions of Windows. If you don't configure this policy setting, users can turn this feature on or off using Internet Explorer settings. This feature is turned off by default.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether Internet Explorer checks for digital signatures (which identifies the publisher of signed software and verifies it has not been modified or tampered with) on user computers before downloading executable programs. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer will check the digital signatures of executable programs and display their identities before downloading them to the user computers. If you disable this policy setting, Internet Explorer will not check the digital signatures of executable programs or display their identities before downloading them to the user computers. If you do not configure this policy, Internet Explorer will not check the digital signatures of executable programs or display their identities before downloading them to the user computers.

Some UNC paths could refer to servers not managed by the organization, which means they could host malicious content; and therefore, it is safest to not include all UNC paths in the Intranet Sites zone. This policy setting controls whether URLs representing UNCs are mapped into the local Intranet security zone. If you enable this policy setting, all network paths are mapped into the Intranet Zone. If you disable this policy setting, network paths are not necessarily mapped into the Intranet Zone (other rules might map one there). If you do not configure this policy setting, users choose whether network paths are mapped into the Intranet Zone.

This policy setting allows you to manage restrictions on script-initiated pop-up windows and windows including the title and status bars. If you enable this policy setting, Windows Restrictions security will not apply in this zone. The security zone runs without the added layer of security provided by this feature. If you disable this policy setting, the possible harmful actions contained in script-initiated pop-up windows and windows including the title and status bars cannot be run. This Internet Explorer security feature will be on in this zone as dictated by the Scripted Windows Security Restrictions feature control setting for the process. If you do not configure this policy setting, the possible harmful actions contained in script-initiated pop-up windows and windows including the title and status bars cannot be run. This Internet Explorer security feature will be on in this zone as dictated by the Scripted Windows Security Restrictions feature control setting for the process.

This policy setting allows you to manage restrictions on script-initiated pop-up windows and windows including the title and status bars. If you enable this policy setting, Windows Restrictions security will not apply in this zone. The security zone runs without the added layer of security provided by this feature. If you disable this policy setting, the possible harmful actions contained in script-initiated pop-up windows and windows including the title and status bars cannot be run. This Internet Explorer security feature will be on in this zone as dictated by the Scripted Windows Security Restrictions feature control setting for the process. If you do not configure this policy setting, the possible harmful actions contained in script-initiated pop-up windows and windows including the title and status bars cannot be run. This Internet Explorer security feature will be on in this zone as dictated by the Scripted Windows Security Restrictions feature control setting for the process.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether scriptlets can be allowed. Scriptlets hosted on sites located in this zone are more likely to contain malicious code. If you enable this policy setting, users will be able to run scriptlets. If you disable this policy setting, users will not be able to run scriptlets. If you do not configure this policy setting, a scriptlet can be enabled or disabled by the user.

This policy setting determines whether users will be prompted for non user-initiated file downloads. Regardless of this setting, users will receive file download dialogs for user-initiated downloads. Users may accept downloads that they did not request, and those downloaded files may include malicious code. If you enable this setting, users will receive a file download dialog for automatic download attempts. If you disable or do not configure this setting, file downloads that are not user-initiated will be blocked, and users will see the information bar instead of the file download dialog. Users can then click the information bar to allow the file download prompt.

Java applications could contain malicious code. This policy setting allows you to manage permissions for Java applets. If you enable this policy setting, options can be chosen from the drop-down box. Use of the Custom permission will control permissions settings individually. Use of the Low Safety permission enables applets to perform all operations. Use of the Medium Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox (an area in memory outside of which the program cannot make calls), plus adds capabilities like scratch space (a safe and secure storage area on the client computer) and a user-controlled file I/O. Use of the High Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox. If you disable this policy setting, Java applets cannot run. If you do not configure this policy setting, the permission is set to High Safety.

This policy setting determines whether Internet Explorer runs Anti-Malware programs against ActiveX controls, to check if they're safe to load on pages. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer won't check with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. If you disable this policy setting, Internet Explorer always checks with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. If you don't configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer won't check with your Anti-Malware program to see if it's safe to create an instance of the ActiveX control. Users can turn this behavior on or off, using Internet Explorer Security settings.

Java applications could contain malicious code. This policy setting allows you to manage permissions for Java applets. If you enable this policy setting, options can be chosen from the drop-down box. Use of the Custom permission will control permissions settings individually. Use of the Low Safety permission enables applets to perform all operations. Use of the Medium Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox (an area in memory outside of which the program cannot make calls), plus adds capabilities like scratch space (a safe and secure storage area on the client computer) and a user-controlled file I/O. Use of the High Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox. If you disable this policy setting, Java applets cannot run. If you do not configure this policy setting, the permission is set to High Safety.

Java applications could contain malicious code. This policy setting allows you to manage permissions for Java applets. If you enable this policy setting, options can be chosen from the drop-down box. Use of the Custom permission will control permissions settings individually. Use of the Low Safety permission enables applets to perform all operations. Use of the Medium Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox (an area in memory outside of which the program cannot make calls), plus adds capabilities like scratch space (a safe and secure storage area on the client computer) and a user-controlled file I/O. Use of the High Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox. If you disable this policy setting, Java applets cannot run. If you do not configure this policy setting, the permission is set to High Safety.

Java applications could contain malicious code; sites located in this security zone are more likely to be hosted by malicious individuals. This policy setting allows you to manage permissions for Java applets. If you enable this policy setting, options can be chosen from the drop-down box. Use of the Custom permission will control permissions settings individually. Use of the Low Safety permission enables applets to perform all operations. Use of the Medium Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox (an area in memory outside of which the program cannot make calls), plus adds capabilities like scratch space (a safe and secure storage area on the client computer) and a user-controlled file I/O. Use of the High Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox. If you disable this policy setting, Java applets cannot run. If you do not configure this policy setting, the permission is set to High Safety.

Java applications could contain malicious code. This policy setting allows you to manage permissions for Java applets. If you enable this policy setting, options can be chosen from the drop-down box. Use of the Custom permission will control permissions settings individually. Use of the Low Safety permission enables applets to perform all operations. Use of the Medium Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox (an area in memory outside of which the program cannot make calls), plus adds capabilities like scratch space (a safe and secure storage area on the client computer) and a user-controlled file I/O. Use of the High Safety permission enables applets to run in their sandbox. If you disable this policy setting, Java applets cannot run. If you do not configure this policy setting, the permission is set to High Safety.

These are eXtensible Application Markup Language (XAML) files. XAML is an XML-based declarative markup language commonly used for creating rich user interfaces and graphics that leverage the Windows Presentation Foundation. If you enable this policy setting and the drop-down box is set to Enable, XAML files will be automatically loaded inside Internet Explorer. Users will not be able to change this behavior. If the drop-down box is set to Prompt, users will receive a prompt for loading XAML files. If you disable this policy setting, XAML files will not be loaded inside Internet Explorer. Users will not be able to change this behavior. If you do not configure this policy setting, users will have the freedom to decide whether to load XAML files inside Internet Explorer.

These are eXtensible Application Markup Language (XAML) files. XAML is an XML-based declarative markup language commonly used for creating rich user interfaces and graphics that leverage the Windows Presentation Foundation. If you enable this policy setting and the drop-down box is set to Enable, XAML files will be automatically loaded inside Internet Explorer. Users will not be able to change this behavior. If the drop-down box is set to Prompt, users will receive a prompt for loading XAML files. If you disable this policy setting, XAML files will not be loaded inside Internet Explorer. Users will not be able to change this behavior. If you do not configure this policy setting, users will have the freedom to decide whether to load XAML files inside Internet Explorer.

Protected Mode protects Internet Explorer from exploited vulnerabilities by reducing the locations Internet Explorer can write to in the registry and the file system. If you enable this policy setting, Protected Mode will be turned on. Users will not be able to turn off Protected Mode. If you disable this policy setting, Protected Mode will be turned off. It will revert to Internet Explorer 6 behavior that allows for Internet Explorer to write to the registry and the file system. Users will not be able to turn on Protected Mode. If you do not configure this policy, users will be able to turn on or off Protected Mode.

Protected Mode protects Internet Explorer from exploited vulnerabilities by reducing the locations Internet Explorer can write to in the registry and the file system. If you enable this policy setting, Protected Mode will be turned on. Users will not be able to turn off Protected Mode. If you disable this policy setting, Protected Mode will be turned off. It will revert to Internet Explorer 6 behavior that allows for Internet Explorer to write to the registry and the file system. Users will not be able to turn on Protected Mode. If you do not configure this policy, users will be able to turn on or off Protected Mode.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether unwanted pop-up windows appear. Pop-up windows that are opened when the end user clicks a link are not blocked. If you enable this policy setting, most unwanted pop-up windows are prevented from appearing. If you disable this policy setting, pop-up windows are not prevented from appearing. If you do not configure this policy setting, most unwanted pop-up windows are prevented from appearing.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether unwanted pop-up windows appear. Pop-up windows that are opened when the end user clicks a link are not blocked. If you enable this policy setting, most unwanted pop-up windows are prevented from appearing. If you disable this policy setting, pop-up windows are not prevented from appearing. If you do not configure this policy setting, most unwanted pop-up windows are prevented from appearing.

This policy setting allows a user to manage whether websites from less privileged zones, such as Restricted Sites, can navigate into the Internet zone. If this policy setting is enabled, websites from less privileged zones can open new windows in, or navigate into, this zone. The security zone will run without the added layer of security that is provided by the Protection from Zone Elevation security feature. If "Prompt" is selected in the drop-down box, a warning is issued to the user that potentially risky navigation is about to occur. If this policy setting is disabled, the potentially risky navigation is prevented. The Internet Explorer security feature will be on in this zone as set by the Protection from Zone Elevation feature control. If this policy setting is not configured, websites from less privileged zones can open new windows in, or navigate into, this zone.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether websites from less privileged zones, such as Restricted Sites, can navigate into the Restricted zone. If this policy setting is enabled, websites from less privileged zones can open new windows in, or navigate into, this zone. The security zone will run without the added layer of security that is provided by the Protection from Zone Elevation security feature. If Prompt is selected in the drop-down box, a warning is issued to the user that potentially risky navigation is about to occur. If this policy setting is disabled, the potentially risky navigation is prevented. The Internet Explorer security feature will be on in this zone as set by the Protection from Zone Elevation feature control. If this policy setting is not configured, websites from less privileged zones can open new windows in, or navigate into, this zone.

This policy setting allows you to manage dynamic binary and script behaviors of components that encapsulate specific functionality for HTML elements, to which they were attached. If you enable this policy setting, binary and script behaviors are available. If you select "Administrator approved" in the drop-down box, only the behaviors listed in the Admin-approved Behaviors under Binary Behaviors Security Restriction policy are available. If you disable this policy setting, binary and script behaviors are not available unless applications have implemented a custom security manager. If you do not configure this policy setting, binary and script behaviors are available.

This policy setting determines whether users will be prompted for non user-initiated file downloads. Regardless of this setting, users will receive file download dialogs for user-initiated downloads. Users may accept downloads that they did not request, and those downloaded files may include malicious code. If you enable this setting, users will receive a file download dialog for automatic download attempts. If you disable or do not configure this setting, file downloads that are not user-initiated will be blocked, and users will see the information bar instead of the file download dialog. Users can then click the information bar to allow the file download prompt.

Internet Explorer uses Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) data to determine file handling procedures for files received through a web server. The Consistent MIME Handling\Internet Explorer Processes policy setting determines whether Internet Explorer requires all file-type information provided by web servers to be consistent. For example, if the MIME type of a file is text/plain but the MIME data indicates the file is really an executable file, Internet Explorer changes its extension to reflect this executable status. This capability helps ensure executable code cannot masquerade as other types of data that may be trusted. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer examines all received files and enforces consistent MIME data for them. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer does not require consistent MIME data for all received files and will use the MIME data provided by the file. MIME file-type spoofing is a potential threat to an organization. Ensuring these files are consistent and properly labeled helps prevent malicious file downloads from infecting your network.

Internet Explorer uses Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) data to determine file handling procedures for files received through a web server. The Consistent MIME Handling\Internet Explorer Processes policy setting determines whether Internet Explorer requires all file-type information provided by web servers to be consistent. For example, if the MIME type of a file is text/plain but the MIME data indicates the file is really an executable file, Internet Explorer changes its extension to reflect this executable status. This capability helps ensure executable code cannot masquerade as other types of data that may be trusted. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer examines all received files and enforces consistent MIME data for them. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer does not require consistent MIME data for all received files and will use the MIME data provided by the file. MIME file-type spoofing is a potential threat to the organization. Ensuring these files are consistent and properly labeled helps prevent malicious file downloads from infecting the network. This guide recommends configuring this policy as "Enabled" for all environments specified in this guide.

Internet Explorer uses Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) data to determine file handling procedures for files received through a web server. The Consistent MIME Handling\Internet Explorer Processes policy setting determines whether Internet Explorer requires all file-type information provided by web servers to be consistent. For example, if the MIME type of a file is text/plain but the MIME data indicates that the file is really an executable file, Internet Explorer changes its extension to reflect this executable status. This capability helps ensure that executable code cannot masquerade as other types of data that may be trusted. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer examines all received files and enforces consistent MIME data for them. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer does not require consistent MIME data for all received files and will use the MIME data provided by the file. MIME file-type spoofing is a potential threat to an organization. Ensuring these files are consistent and properly labeled helps prevent malicious file downloads from infecting the network. This guide recommends configuring this policy as "Enabled" for all environments specified in this guide.

MIME sniffing is the process of examining the content of a MIME file to determine its context - whether it is a data file, an executable file, or some other type of file. This policy setting determines whether Internet Explorer MIME sniffing will prevent promotion of a file of one type to a more dangerous file type. When set to "Enabled", MIME sniffing will never promote a file of one type to a more dangerous file type. Disabling MIME sniffing configures Internet Explorer processes to allow a MIME sniff that promotes a file of one type to a more dangerous file type. For example, promoting a text file to an executable file is a dangerous promotion because any code in the supposed text file would be executed. MIME file-type spoofing is a potential threat to an organization. Ensuring these files are consistently handled helps prevent malicious file downloads from infecting the network. This guide recommends you configure this policy as "Enabled" for all environments specified in this guide. Note: This setting works in conjunction with, but does not replace, the Consistent MIME Handling settings.

MIME sniffing is the process of examining the content of a MIME file to determine its context - whether it is a data file, an executable file, or some other type of file. This policy setting determines whether Internet Explorer MIME sniffing will prevent promotion of a file of one type to a more dangerous file type. When set to "Enabled", MIME sniffing will never promote a file of one type to a more dangerous file type. Disabling MIME sniffing configures Internet Explorer processes to allow a MIME sniff that promotes a file of one type to a more dangerous file type. For example, promoting a text file to an executable file is a dangerous promotion because any code in the supposed text file would be executed. MIME file-type spoofing is a potential threat to an organization. Ensuring these files are consistently handled helps prevent malicious file downloads from infecting the network. This guide recommends configuring this policy as "Enabled" for all environments specified in this guide. Note: This setting works in conjunction with, but does not replace, the Consistent MIME Handling settings.

MIME sniffing is the process of examining the content of a MIME file to determine its context - whether it is a data file, an executable file, or some other type of file. This policy setting determines whether Internet Explorer MIME sniffing will prevent promotion of a file of one type to a more dangerous file type. When set to "Enabled", MIME sniffing will never promote a file of one type to a more dangerous file type. Disabling MIME sniffing configures Internet Explorer processes to allow a MIME sniff that promotes a file of one type to a more dangerous file type. For example, promoting a text file to an executable file is a dangerous promotion because any code in the supposed text file would be executed. MIME file-type spoofing is a potential threat to an organization. Ensuring these files are consistently handled helps prevent malicious file downloads from infecting the network. This guide recommends configuring this policy as "Enabled" for all environments specified in this guide. Note: This setting works in conjunction with, but does not replace, the Consistent MIME Handling settings.

The MK Protocol Security Restriction policy setting reduces attack surface area by blocking the seldom used MK protocol. Some older web applications use the MK protocol to retrieve information from compressed files. Because the MK protocol is not widely used, it should be blocked wherever it is not needed. Setting this policy to "Enabled"; blocks the MK protocol for Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer, which causes resources that use the MK protocol to fail. Disabling this setting allows applications to use the MK protocol API. This guide recommends configuring this setting to "Enabled" to block the MK protocol unless it is specifically needed in the environment. Note: Because resources that use the MK protocol will fail when deploying this setting, ensure none of the applications use the MK protocol.

The MK Protocol Security Restriction policy setting reduces attack surface area by blocking the seldom used MK protocol. Some older web applications use the MK protocol to retrieve information from compressed files. Because the MK protocol is not widely used, it should be blocked wherever it is not needed. Setting this policy to "Enabled"; blocks the MK protocol for Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer, which causes resources that use the MK protocol to fail. Disabling this setting allows applications to use the MK protocol API. This guide recommends you configure this setting to "Enabled" to block the MK protocol unless it is specifically needed in the environment. Note: Because resources that use the MK protocol will fail when deploying this setting, ensure none of the applications use the MK protocol.

The MK Protocol Security Restriction policy setting reduces attack surface area by blocking the seldom used MK protocol. Some older web applications use the MK protocol to retrieve information from compressed files. Because the MK protocol is not widely used, it should be blocked wherever it is not needed. Setting this policy to "Enabled"; blocks the MK protocol for Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer, which causes resources that use the MK protocol to fail. Disabling this setting allows applications to use the MK protocol API. This guide recommends you configure this setting to "Enabled" to block the MK protocol unless specifically needed in the environment. Note: Because resources that use the MK protocol will fail when deploying this setting, ensure none of the applications use the MK protocol.

Internet Explorer places restrictions on each web page it opens that are dependent upon the location of the web page (such as Internet Zone, Intranet Zone, or Local Machine Zone). Web pages on a local computer have the fewest security restrictions and reside in the Local Machine Zone, which makes the Local Machine Security Zone a prime target for malicious attackers. If you enable this policy setting, any zone can be protected from zone elevation by Internet Explorer processes. This approach stops content running in one zone from gaining the elevated privileges of another zone. If you disable this policy setting, no zone receives such protection from Internet Explorer processes. Because of the severity and relative frequency of zone elevation attacks, this guide recommends that you configure this setting as "Enabled" in all environments.

Internet Explorer places restrictions on each web page it opens that are dependent upon the location of the web page (such as Internet Zone, Intranet Zone, or Local Machine Zone). Web pages on a local computer have the fewest security restrictions and reside in the Local Machine Zone, which makes the Local Machine Security Zone a prime target for malicious attackers. If you enable this policy setting, any zone can be protected from zone elevation by Internet Explorer processes. This approach stops content running in one zone from gaining the elevated privileges of another zone. If you disable this policy setting, no zone receives such protection from Internet Explorer processes. Because of the severity and relative frequency of zone elevation attacks, this guide recommends configuring this setting as "Enabled" in all environments.

Internet Explorer places restrictions on each web page it opens that are dependent upon the location of the web page (such as Internet Zone, Intranet Zone, or Local Machine Zone). Web pages on a local computer have the fewest security restrictions and reside in the Local Machine Zone, which makes the Local Machine Security Zone a prime target for malicious attackers. If you enable this policy setting, any zone can be protected from zone elevation by Internet Explorer processes. This approach stops content running in one zone from gaining the elevated privileges of another zone. If you disable this policy setting, no zone receives such protection from Internet Explorer processes. Because of the severity and relative frequency of zone elevation attacks, this guide recommends that you configure this setting as "Enabled" in all environments.

In certain circumstances, websites can initiate file download prompts without interaction from users. This technique can allow websites to put unauthorized files on users' hard drives if they click the wrong button and accept the download. If you configure the Restrict File Download\Internet Explorer Processes policy setting to "Enabled", file download prompts that are not user-initiated are blocked for Internet Explorer processes. If you configure this policy setting as "Disabled", prompting will occur for file downloads that are not user-initiated for Internet Explorer processes. Note: This setting is configured as "Enabled" in all environments specified in this guide to help prevent attackers from placing arbitrary code on users' computers.

In certain circumstances, websites can initiate file download prompts without interaction from users. This technique can allow websites to put unauthorized files on users' hard drives if they click the wrong button and accept the download. If you configure the Restrict File Download\Internet Explorer Processes policy setting to "Enabled", file download prompts that are not user-initiated are blocked for Internet Explorer processes. If you configure this policy setting as "Disabled", prompting will occur for file downloads that are not user-initiated for Internet Explorer processes. Note: This setting is configured as "Enabled" in all environments specified in this guide to help prevent attackers from placing arbitrary code on users' computers.

In certain circumstances, websites can initiate file download prompts without interaction from users. This technique can allow websites to put unauthorized files on users' hard drives if they click the wrong button and accept the download. If you configure the Restrict File Download\Internet Explorer Processes policy setting to "Enabled", file download prompts that are not user-initiated are blocked for Internet Explorer processes. If you configure this policy setting as "Disabled", prompting will occur for file downloads that are not user-initiated for Internet Explorer processes. Note: This setting is configured as "Enabled" in all environments specified in this guide to help prevent attackers from placing arbitrary code on users' computers.

Internet Explorer allows scripts to programmatically open, resize, and reposition various types of windows. Often, disreputable websites will resize windows to either hide other windows or force the user to interact with a window containing malicious code. The Scripted Window Security Restrictions security feature restricts pop-up windows and prohibits scripts from displaying windows in which the title and status bars are not visible to the user, or which hide other windows' title and status bars. If you enable the Scripted Window Security Restrictions\Internet Explorer Processes policy setting, pop-up windows and other restrictions apply for Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer processes. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, scripts can continue to create pop-up windows, and create windows that hide other windows. Recommend configuring this setting to "Enabled" to help prevent malicious websites from controlling the Internet Explorer windows or fooling users into clicking on the wrong window.

Internet Explorer allows scripts to programmatically open, resize, and reposition various types of windows. Often, disreputable websites will resize windows to either hide other windows or force a user to interact with a window that contains malicious code. The Scripted Window Security Restrictions security feature restricts pop-up windows and prohibits scripts from displaying windows in which the title and status bars are not visible to the user, or which hide other windows' title and status bars. If you enable the Scripted Window Security Restrictions\Internet Explorer Processes policy setting, pop-up windows and other restrictions apply for Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer processes. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, scripts can continue to create pop-up windows and create windows that hide other windows. This guide recommends configuring this setting to "Enabled" to help prevent malicious websites from controlling the Internet Explorer windows or fooling users into clicking on the wrong window.

Internet Explorer allows scripts to programmatically open, resize, and reposition various types of windows. Often, disreputable websites will resize windows to either hide other windows or force a user to interact with a window that contains malicious code. The Scripted Window Security Restrictions security feature restricts pop-up windows and prohibits scripts from displaying windows in which the title and status bars are not visible to the user, or which hide other windows' title and status bars. If you enable the Scripted Window Security Restrictions\Internet Explorer Processes policy setting, pop-up windows and other restrictions apply for Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer processes. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, scripts can continue to create pop-up windows and create windows that hide other windows. This guide recommends configuring this setting to "Enabled" to help prevent malicious websites from controlling the Internet Explorer windows or fooling users into clicking on the wrong window.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether .NET Framework-reliant components that are not signed with Authenticode can be executed from Internet Explorer. These components include managed controls referenced from an object tag and managed executables referenced from a link. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer will execute unsigned managed components. If you select "Prompt" in the drop-down box, Internet Explorer will prompt the user to determine whether to execute unsigned managed components. If you disable this policy setting, Internet Explorer will not execute unsigned managed components. If you do not configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer will execute unsigned managed components.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether .NET Framework-reliant components that are signed with Authenticode can be executed from Internet Explorer. It may be possible for malicious content hosted on a website to take advantage of these components. These components include managed controls referenced from an object tag and managed executables referenced from a link. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer will execute signed managed components. If you select "Prompt" in the drop-down box, Internet Explorer will prompt the user to determine whether to execute signed managed components. If you disable this policy setting, Internet Explorer will not execute signed managed components. If you do not configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer will execute signed managed components.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether applets are exposed to scripts within the zone. If you enable this policy setting, scripts can access applets automatically without user intervention. If you select "Prompt" in the drop-down box, users are queried to choose whether to allow scripts to access applets. If you disable this policy setting, scripts are prevented from accessing applets. If you do not configure this policy setting, scripts can access applets automatically without user intervention.

The 'Turn off Crash Detection' policy setting allows you to manage the crash detection feature of add-on management in Internet Explorer. A crash report could contain sensitive information from the computer's memory. If you enable this policy setting, a crash in Internet Explorer will be similar to one on a computer running Windows XP Professional Service Pack 1 and earlier, where Windows Error Reporting will be invoked. If you disable this policy setting, the crash detection feature in add-on management will be functional.

This setting is important from a security perspective because Microsoft has extensive data illustrating the positive impact the SmartScreen filter has had on reducing the risk of malware infection via visiting malicious websites. This policy setting allows users to enable the SmartScreen Filter, which will warn if the website being visited is known for fraudulent attempts to gather personal information through 'phishing' or is known to host malware. If you enable this setting the user will not be prompted to enable the SmartScreen Filter. It must be specified which mode the SmartScreen Filter uses: On or Off. If the feature is On, all website addresses not contained on the filters allow list, will be sent automatically to Microsoft without prompting the user. If this feature is set to Off, the feature will not run. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the user is prompted to decide whether to turn on SmartScreen Filter during the first-run experience.

Delete Browsing History on exit automatically deletes specified items when the last browser window closes. Disabling this function will prevent users from deleting their browsing history, which could be used to identify malicious websites and files that could later be used for anti-virus and Intrusion Detection System (IDS) signatures. Furthermore, preventing users from deleting browsing history could be used to identify abusive web surfing on government systems.

This policy prevents users from deleting the history of websites the user has visited. If you enable this policy setting, websites the user has visited will be preserved when the user clicks "Delete". If you disable this policy setting, websites that the user has visited will be deleted when the user clicks "Delete". If you do not configure this policy setting, the user will be able to select whether to delete or preserve websites the user visited when the user clicks "Delete".

InPrivate Browsing lets the user control whether or not Internet Explorer saves the browsing history, cookies, and other data. User control of settings is not the preferred control method. The InPrivate Browsing feature in Internet Explorer makes browser privacy easy by not storing history, cookies, temporary Internet files, or other data. If you enable this policy setting, InPrivate Browsing will be disabled. If you disable this policy setting, InPrivate Browsing will be available for use. If you do not configure this setting, InPrivate Browsing can be turned on or off through the registry.

This policy setting controls whether a page may control embedded WebBrowser control via script. Scripted code hosted on sites located in this zone is more likely to contain malicious code. If you enable this policy setting, script access to the WebBrowser control is allowed. If you disable this policy setting, script access to the WebBrowser control is not allowed. If you do not configure this policy setting, script access to the WebBrowser control can be enabled or disabled by the user. By default, script access to the WebBrowser control is only allowed in the Local Machine and Intranet Zones.

This policy setting controls whether or not the local path information will be sent when uploading a file via a HTML form. If the local path information is sent, some information may be unintentionally revealed to the server. If you do not configure this policy setting, the user can choose whether path information will be sent when uploading a file via a form. By default, path information will be sent.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether the Notification Bar is displayed for Internet Explorer processes when file or code installs are restricted. By default, the Notification Bar is displayed for Internet Explorer processes. If you enable this policy setting, the Notification Bar will be displayed for Internet Explorer processes. If you disable this policy setting, the Notification Bar will not be displayed for Internet Explorer processes. If you do not configure this policy setting, the Notification Bar will be displayed for Internet Explorer processes.

This policy setting controls whether or not the 'Open File - Security Warning' message appears when the user tries to open executable files or other potentially unsafe files (from an intranet file shared by using Windows Explorer, for example). If you enable this policy setting and set the drop-down box to "Enable", these files open without a security warning. If you set the drop-down box to " Prompt", a security warning appears before the files open. If you disable this policy these files do not open. If you do not configure this policy setting, the user can configure how the computer handles these files.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether the Notification Bar is displayed for Internet Explorer processes when file or code installs are restricted. By default, the Notification Bar is displayed for Internet Explorer processes. If you enable this policy setting, the Notification Bar will be displayed for Internet Explorer processes. If you disable this policy setting, the Notification Bar will not be displayed for Internet Explorer processes. If you do not configure this policy setting, the Notification Bar will be displayed for Internet Explorer processes.

This policy setting controls whether or not the user is prompted to allow ActiveX controls to run on websites other than the website that installed the ActiveX control. If the user were to disable the setting for the zone, malicious ActiveX controls could be executed without the user's knowledge. Disabling this setting would allow the possibility for malicious ActiveX controls to be executed from non-approved domains within this zone without the user's knowledge. Enabling this setting enforces the default value and prohibits the user from changing the value. Websites should be moved into another zone if permissions need to be changed.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether the Notification Bar is displayed for Internet Explorer processes when file or code installs are restricted. By default, the Notification Bar is displayed for Internet Explorer processes. If you enable this policy setting, the Notification Bar will be displayed for Internet Explorer processes. If you disable this policy setting, the Notification Bar will not be displayed for Internet Explorer processes. If you do not configure this policy setting, the Notification Bar will be displayed for Internet Explorer processes.

The Cross-Site Scripting Filter is designed to prevent users from becoming victims of unintentional information disclosure. This setting controls if the Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Filter detects and prevents cross-site script injection into websites in this zone. If you enable this policy setting, the XSS Filter will be enabled for sites in this zone, and the XSS Filter will attempt to block cross-site script injections. If you disable this policy setting, the XSS Filter will be disabled for sites in this zone, and Internet Explorer will permit cross-site script injections.

This policy setting controls whether a page may control embedded WebBrowser Control via script. Scripted code hosted on sites located in this zone is more likely to contain malicious code. If you enable this policy setting, script access to the WebBrowser Control is allowed. If you disable this policy setting, script access to the WebBrowser Control is not allowed. If you do not configure this policy setting, script access to the WebBrowser Control can be enabled or disabled by the user. By default, script access to the WebBrowser Control is only allowed in the Local Machine and Intranet Zones.

This policy setting controls whether or not the local path information will be sent when uploading a file via a HTML form. If the local path information is sent, some information may be unintentionally revealed to the server. If you do not configure this policy setting, the user can choose whether path information will be sent when uploading a file via a form. By default, path information will be sent.

This policy setting controls whether or not the 'Open File - Security Warning' message appears when the user tries to open executable files or other potentially unsafe files (from an intranet file shared by using Windows Explorer, for example). If you enable this policy setting and set the drop-down box to "Enable", these files open without a security warning. If you set the drop-down box to "Prompt", a security warning appears before the files open. If you disable this policy these files do not open. If you do not configure this policy setting, the user can configure how the computer handles these files.

This policy setting controls whether or not the user is prompted to allow ActiveX controls to run on websites other than the website that installed the ActiveX control. If the user were to disable the setting for the zone, malicious ActiveX controls could be executed without the user's knowledge. Disabling this setting would allow the possibility for malicious ActiveX controls to be executed from non-approved domains within this zone without the user's knowledge. Enabling this setting enforces the default value and prohibits the user from changing the value. Websites should be moved into another zone if permissions need to be changed.

The Cross-Site Scripting Filter is designed to prevent users from becoming victims of unintentional information disclosure. This setting controls if the Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Filter detects and prevents cross-site script injection into websites in this zone. If you enable this policy setting, the XSS Filter will be enabled for sites in this zone, and the XSS Filter will attempt to block cross-site script injections. If you disable this policy setting, the XSS Filter will be disabled for sites in this zone, and Internet Explorer will permit cross-site script injections.

Users often choose to install software such as ActiveX controls that are not permitted by their organization's security policy. Such software can pose significant security and privacy risks to networks. This policy setting enables blocking of ActiveX control installation prompts for Internet Explorer processes. If you enable this policy setting, prompts for ActiveX control installations will be blocked for Internet Explorer processes. If you disable this policy setting, prompts for ActiveX control installations will not be blocked and these prompts will be displayed to users. If you do not configure this policy setting, the user's preference will be used to determine whether to block ActiveX control installations for Internet Explorer processes.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether script is allowed to update the status bar within the zone. A script running in the zone could cause false information to be displayed on the status bar, which could confuse the user and cause them to perform an undesirable action. If you enable this policy setting, script is allowed to update the status bar. If you disable this policy setting, script is not allowed to update the status bar. If you do not configure this policy setting, status bar updates via scripts will be disabled.

Unsigned components are more likely to contain malicious code and it is more difficult to determine the author of the application - therefore they should be avoided if possible. This policy setting allows you to manage whether .NET Framework components that are not signed with Authenticode can be executed from Internet Explorer. These components include managed controls referenced from an object tag and managed executables referenced from a link. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer will execute unsigned managed components. If you select "Prompt" in the drop-down box, Internet Explorer will prompt the user to determine whether to execute unsigned managed components. If you disable this policy setting, Internet Explorer will not execute unsigned managed components. If you do not configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer will not execute unsigned managed components.

It may be possible for someone to host malicious content on a website that takes advantage of these components. This policy setting allows you to manage whether .NET Framework components that are signed with Authenticode can be executed from Internet Explorer. These components include managed controls referenced from an object tag and managed executables referenced from a link. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer will execute signed managed components. If you select "Prompt" in the drop-down box, Internet Explorer will prompt the user to determine whether to execute signed managed components. If you disable this policy setting, Internet Explorer will not execute signed managed components. If you do not configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer will not execute signed managed components.

This policy setting allows you to manage whether scriptlets can be allowed. Scriptlets hosted on sites located in this zone are more likely to contain malicious code. If you enable this policy setting, users will be able to run scriptlets. If you disable this policy setting, users will not be able to run scriptlets. If you do not configure this policy setting, a scriptlet can be enabled or disabled by the user.

A script running in the zone could cause false information to be displayed on the status bar, which could confuse the user and cause an undesirable action. This policy setting allows you to manage whether script is allowed to update the status bar within the zone. If you enable this policy setting, script is allowed to update the status bar. If you disable this policy setting, script is not allowed to update the status bar. If you do not configure this policy setting, status bar updates via scripts will be disabled.

This setting prevents ActiveX controls from running in Protected Mode when Enhanced Protected Mode is enabled. When a user has an ActiveX control installed that is not compatible with Enhanced Protected Mode and a website attempts to load the control, Internet Explorer notifies the user and gives the option to run the website in regular Protected Mode. This policy setting disables this notification and forces all websites to run in Enhanced Protected Mode. Enhanced Protected Mode provides additional protection against malicious websites by using 64-bit processes on 64-bit versions of Windows. For computers running at least Windows 8, Enhanced Protected Mode also limits the locations Internet Explorer can read from in the registry and the file system. If you enable this policy setting, Internet Explorer will not give the user the option to disable Enhanced Protected Mode. All Protected Mode websites will run in Enhanced Protected Mode. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Internet Explorer notifies users and provides an option to run websites with incompatible ActiveX controls in regular Protected Mode.

This policy setting allows you to set options for dragging content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in different windows. If you enable this policy setting, users can drag content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in different windows. Users cannot change this setting. If you disable this policy setting, users cannot drag content from one domain to a different domain when both the source and destination are in different windows. Users cannot change this setting. If you do not configure this policy setting, users cannot drag content from one domain to a different domain when the source and destination are in different windows. Users can change this setting in the Internet Options dialog box.

This parameter ensures only DoD-approved ciphers and algorithms are enabled for use by the web browser by allowing you to turn on/off support for TLS and SSL. TLS is a protocol for protecting communications between the browser and the target server. When the browser attempts to set up a protected communication with the target server, the browser and server negotiate which protocol and version to use. The browser and server attempt to match each other's list of supported protocols and versions and pick the most preferred match. Satisfies: SRG-APP-000514, SRG-APP-000555, SRG-APP-000625, SRG-APP-000630, SRG-APP-000635

This parameter ensures only DoD-approved ciphers and algorithms are enabled for use by the web browser by blocking an insecure fallback to SSL when TLS 1.0 or greater fails. Satisfies: SRG-APP-000514, SRG-APP-000555, SRG-APP-000625, SRG-APP-000630, SRG-APP-000635