SmartScreen Filter is a new and useful feature in IE9 web browser that helps users in detecting Phishing sites and thus prevent them from threats arising from those phishing sites. The SmartScreen Filter feature also prevents users from downloading and installing malicious software.
The SmartScreen Filter in IE9 will help protect you against online threats in the following three ways
- When you surf the web, the SmartScreen Filter analyses the websites and the webpages that you visit and then determines if they have any characteristics that look suspicious. If it finds that the web page or the web site is suspicious, it will ping you with a message that provides you with an option to give feedback and thus telling you to proceed further with caution.
- SmartScreen Filter checks all the web sites that you visit while browsing against a dynamic list of web sites that have been reported as malicious sites and phishing sites. If the site you are surfing matches with any of the site in the dynamic list, SmartScreen Filter will provide you with a warning notification saying that the site you bare trying to visit is blocked to ensure your safety.
- The SmartScreen Filter will check the files and programs that you download from a web site against a list of software sites and programs that have been reported as malicious and unsafe. If the site from which you are trying to download a file matches with any of the site names in the above list, the SmartScreen filter will block the download to ensure your safety. It also checks the files you download against a list of files and programs that are most common and have been downloaded by many Internet explorer users. In case, if the file you are downloading is not present in the list, SmartScreen Filter will warn you before you start downloading the file.
How to Turn Off and Turn On SmartScreen Filter in IE9 browser
The following section of the article will guide you on How to Turn Off and Turn On SmartScreen Filter in IE9 browser.
1) Click on the Tools icon that you see at the top right hand corner of your browser window and then point your mouse over Safety and then click on Turn On SmartScreen Filter in order to enable the feature. In case if you have already enabled the feature, then you will see the option Turn Off SmartScreen Filter under Safety.
2) In the SmartScreen Filter Window thus opened, select the radio button that says Turn ON SmartScreen Filter in order to Turn on the feature and click on the radio button that says Turn Off SmartScreen Filter in order to turn off the feature.
3) Click on OK to apply the changes.
So, from here on, stay protected from Phishing web sites with the help of SmartScreen Filter in IE9 web browser.