Setting Site Controls

Netscape Browser has many options for setting your browsing preferences. In general, when you set browser options, your changes affect all web sites that you visit, however, you can also over-ride certain options for specific sites. These options are called site controls, and you can quickly set them as you are browsing by clicking on the site controls icon from the tab bar. Whenever you change site controls, Netscape Browser remember your settings and saves them for the next time you visit that site.

Netscape Browser also sets security options for sites automatically, based on security reviews of web sites conducted by trusted third-party partners. For example, if a web site is suspected of using behaviours that could expose you to malicious behaviours such as virus attacks, spyware, or phishing scams, Netscape Browser sets the trust rating to red and disables security options that these behaviours rely on.

To access the Site Controls window as you are browsing, click on the site controls icon in the tab bar, as shown in the following figure:

From this window, you can:

• Review the default trust rating for the site, as verified by a Netscape Security Partner.
• Set general security options for the site by specifying the degree to which you trust the site. Based on the selection you make, Netscape Browser updates your security options based on pre-set defaults for each security level.
• Switch the rendering engine for the site.
• Directly modify specific security settings for the site (using the Advanced tab).

This chapter describes the types of site controls that you can set, and how to use Netscape Browser to do this.

How Do Trust Settings Work?

Trust settings are a quick way to apply pre-set security preferences for a site, based on the extent to which the site can be trusted. If site is not trustworthy, you can choose to prevent it from using features such as cookies, Java, ActiveX controls, and so on. However, you may want to allow these features for sites that you feel you can trust.

There are two elements that make up the trust setting for a site:

Trusted	Not Sure	Not Trusted
			Netscape has formed partnerships with industry leaders who catalog web sites on a regular basis. Some sites are verified for browsing and exchanging sensitive information, while others are placed on warning lists due to their malicious intent. The Netscape Browser can keep you up to date on these sites and automatically configure your browser for the best internet experience. When you visit a site for the first time, Netscape Browser sets the security settings for that site based on these independently established trust ratings. Trusted sites are set to green, which enables most security options. Suspicious sites are flagged red, and Netscape Browser disables options that could expose you to harmful behaviours. If the site has not been verified, the trust rating is set to amber, which provides a balance between browser functionality and security. For more details, refer to How Trust Ratings are Established by Netscape.
			If you choose, you can over-ride the default trust settings established by Netscape Browser. To do this, you change the browser trust setting, which represents the extent to which you trust the site. For example, even if Netscape verifies a site as safe (green icon), you can over-ride these settings by specifying that you don't trust the site. When you do this, Netscape Browser disables the site control options, and changes the icon in the tab bar to this: Note: Changing the trust setting does not change the trust rating established by Netscape.

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How Trust Ratings are Established by Netscape

Trust ratings are driven by lists of sites provided by our trusted security partners. The intent of this system is to automate browser security and site compatibility on an automated basis by identifying the following:

• Verified sites which are safe for entering personal and/or financial information
• Malicious sites intended to steal your information (also known as phishing sites)
• Sites which attempt to inject malicious programs or code onto your system (spyware, adware, trojans, and viruses)

Sites in our database are simply designated safe or not safe. By default, this rating system is turned on and will automatically configure your browser's security settings for an optimal experience. However, if you would prefer that this option be turned off, you may do so by altering the settings on the Site Controls options panel, as described in Setting Options for Netscape's Trust Ratings.

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Setting Site Controls Using the Advanced Tab

From the Advanced tab on the Site Controls window, you can specify, for a given site, the individual site controls that you want to set:

Note: When you change site controls directly, the browser settings icon changes to to indicate you have set custom settings for this site.

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Defining Default Behaviours for Trust Settings

When you first install Netscape Browser, it sets certain options for each trust level. For example, for sites that you trust, Netscape Browser enables Java, JavaScript, and (for sites viewed as Internet Explorer) ActiveX. You can also specify, for each trust setting, the rendering engine that you want to use.

To modify these default behaviours, you use the Site Controls option panel:

1. From the Tools menu, select Options.
2. Select the Site Controls panel. (Note: You can also access this window by clicking the Manage Trust Settings button from the Site Controls window.)



3. In the Master Settings list, select the trust level that you want to modify. When you select a trust level, the settings for that level are displayed in the Web Features and Rendering Engine fields at the right of the window.
4. Update the settings to reflect the types of behaviour you want to allow for each trust level. For more information on individual fields, refer to the help for this window.

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Setting Options for Netscape's Trust Ratings

When you visit a site for which you have not defined site controls, Netscape Browser by default sets your trust setting according to Netscape's own trust rating. That is, if Netscape's third-party security partners consider a site to be trusted , Netscape Browser sets your trust setting to trusted as well . However, you can specify that you want Netscape Browser to use a specific trust setting regardless of its trust rating for a site, or you can choose to display trust ratings entirely.

To set these options, select Tools>Options, select the Site Controls options panel, and open the Trust Preferences tab.

To change how trust ratings set your trust settings, select Always use this setting as a default and then specify the trust setting that you want to use from the drop-down list.

In addition, you can also change the following settings:

• Whether to display warnings for a site in the message bar.
• How often Netscape Browser should update its trust ratings.

For detailed information, refer to the help for this window.

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June, 2005

Copyright 1994-2005 Netscape Communications Corporation.