Windows® 7 Secrets®

Chapter 7. Windows 7 Security Features

In This Chapter

• Using Action Center to monitor the health of your PC

• Using Windows Defender to defend your PC against spyware

• Protecting your system with Windows Firewall

• Keeping your PC secure with Windows Update

• Browsing the Web securely with Internet Explorer 8

Although visual, up-front features like Windows Aero get all the press with Windows 7, some of the more important, if less obvious, changes in this new operating system occur under the hood. For example, Microsoft further componentized its core OS in Windows 7, a change that enables more efficient updating and servicing. The more important under-the-hood work in Windows 7, of course, involves security changes. Whereas Windows XP had to be changed dramatically in Service Pack 2 (SP2) to be more secure, Win dows 7 was designed from the outset to be as secure as possible, building off and expanding on the work the company first did in XP SP2 and Windows Vista. In this chapter, you examine the new security features in Windows 7 that will affect you in dayto-day use.

Security and Windows 7

It's been a tough decade for Windows users. As Microsoft's operating system entered the dominant phase of its existence, hackers began focusing almost solely on Windows, as that's where all the users are. As a result, various Windows versions have suffered through a seemingly never-ending series of electronic attacks, security vulnerabilities, and high-profile malware breakouts.

In 2003 Microsoft halted development ...