Bulletproofing Internet Explorer 7 on the desktop is a process that can be customized in accordance with specific deployment scenarios. The level of personalization comes inherent with the flexibility of the security settings available in the browser. Although IE7 delivers by default a secure configuration, there is always space for tweaking security in order to either relax or increase restrictions. Always bear in mind that an equilibrium is necessary between limitations and usability. Microsoft is even offering a whitepaper designed to guide users in building an enhanced IE secure environment for the desktop.

"As more and more enterprises adopt Internet Explorer 7, we've been getting more questions about deploying and securing IE7 on the desktop. Even though IE7 installs with secure settings by default, there are a number of security features that you can tweak to accommodate specific security needs of your organization. We have just released the Internet Explorer Desktop Security Guide that discusses many of the new security features along with recommended settings. I hope you will find all of this information useful. I look forward to your feedback or any requests about new material that you may have," explained Markellos Diorinos, IE Product Manager.

The new Internet Explorer Desktop Security Guide made available for download, will enable users to create their own default security settings for IE7 based on their personalized set of protection criteria and calculated risk assessment. The IE7 security guide deals with both the version of the browser included in Windows XP SP2 and in Windows Vista. "Increasing browser security is an important goal and Microsoft has spent a great deal of effort to develop the default settings in Internet Explorer 7 to meet the needs of most users. Clearly there is no "one size fits all" solution for security settings, and the purpose of this paper is to provide the specific descriptions and tools for users and administrators to modify their settings to enhance security to meet the requirements of their environments," Microsoft added.