Protecting Against Bad Downloaded Programs
IE helps protect your computer from potentially malicious software. When you use IE to download a file, a message might appear in the information bar just below the Address box saying this:
To help protect your security, Internet Explorer blocked this site from downloading files to your computer. Click here for options.
Clicking the information bar opens a drop-down list of options (see Figure 14.10).
Figure 14.10
IE offers to block downloads from pages until you specify otherwise.
Figure 14.10
IE offers to block downloads from pages until you specify otherwise.
If you choose to allow the page to download a program, you'll see another dialog box warning you about downloaded programs and asking whether you want to run the program from its remote location across the Web or save it to your hard disk, as shown in Figure 14.11.
Figure 14.11
If you decide to accept downloads from that page, you'll see another warning and some options at the bottom of the dialog box.
If you choose to run the program from the site rather than save it, you'll likely see the dialog box shown in Figure 14.12. AH executable files that are downloaded are checked for publisher information using a scheme called Authenticode. Authenticode checks the digital signature of the file against a database of known good software publishers, and gives you some advice about the file. After being presented with the information, you can make a more informed decision about running the file.
Figure 14.12
If a publisher is not verified, you will be prompted if you try to run the program from the web page.
Some program publishers have been "black listed," and Windows 7 prevents them from running in your PC under Windows 7. Executable files with blocked publishers are not allowed to run.
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