Control (UAC); The purpose of the UAC is to allow standard users to have permission enough to be productive but not be al-lowed to make potentially harm-ful system changes. The greatest challenge for the UAC is that most users get very fmstrated when prompted for Administrative level permissions for tasks that are under the UAC's control. Over time, many people will tire of the constant prompts and take the UAC out of the equation by mnning with Administrator controls.

Running your computer as administrator can be fine for those that are pretty computer savvy and can confidently make the necessary system changes without compromising the secu 38 Vista to do its job and not turn this feature off. I know that the prompts can be a bit annoying at times, but it is something that you should learn to accept and know that it is trying to keep your valuable data safe.

Windows Vista Security Center:

The Windows Security Cen¬ter was developed to place all of your security programs in one easily accessed location so that you can view the status of these installed programs. Once ac-cessed, you will easily be able to see that you have all of your security settings turned on. The Windows Security Center will even monitor 3rd party security ware Removal Tool is a post infection tool, meaning that the infection has already been in-stalled on the system. Keep a capable and upd~ted anti-virus software installed and running on your system at all times. If you do not want the Malicious Software Removal Tool in¬stalled on your system, you have that choice ..

Windows Vista Firewall:
The Windows Vista Firewall is a very capable firewall that ' gives sufficient protection to basic users by default. "IT" indi¬viduals 'that require added protection have the flexibility of configuring the firewall to suit Microsoft's Windows De¬fender is a real-time anti-spy¬ware detection and removal application that is• built in. to Windows Vista. This anti-spyware tool can be accessed via Control Panel and clicking the Windows Defender icon. It can also be accessed through the Windows Security Center and then clicking the Windows De-fender linle Once accessed, you can scan your system for possible spyware infections. The tool will then notify you of such in-fections and give the optioI\ to clean your system from these pests.
Keeping this tool up-to-date can help keep your system pro-tected against spyware being in-stalled on your system. Onc;e Windows Defender's main screen is open, click the "Check for Updates Now" button to in¬stall the latest security definitions.
<>Safer surfing with Internet Explorer 7:
Internet Explorer 7 has many security features installed. The features that I'd like to discuss here are:
•Protected Mode
•Phishing Filter
•Security Status Bar
Protected Mode:
Windows Vista comes bun¬dled with Internet Explorer 7 and has Protected Mode turned on by default. With this feature turned on, anytime a malicious code attempts to install itself in to a location that is monitored by Protected Mode, you will re¬ceive a notification of this at¬tempted installation. In having a user double-check this suspicious activity, it greatly reduces any malicious code attempt and stops it before it has a chance to
install.

Phishing Filter:
When Internet Explorer is first installed on your system it will have the Phishing Filter turned on by default. Users can at that point decide if they would like to keep it running or decide to turn this feature off. What Microsoft has done is compiled a huge and on-going list of known web sites that have a reputation of phishing. From the 5 Star Support Computer Glos¬sary, Phishing is defined as:
"Short for Password Harvest-ing Fishing. It is the luring of sensitive information, 'such as passwords and other personal information, from a victim by masquerading as someone trust-worthy with a real need for such information.
Popular targets are users of online banking services, and auction sites such as eBay. Phishers usually work by send¬ing out spam' e-mail to large numbers of potential victims. Typically the email will appear to coine from a trustworthy company and contain a subject and message intended to alarm the recipient into taking action.

A common approach is to tell the recipient that their account has been de-activated due to a problem and inform them that they must take action to re-activate their account. The• user is provided with a convenient link in the same email that takes the email recipient to a fake web page appearing to be thut of a trustworthy company. Once at that page, the user enters her personal information. which is then captured by the fraudster." With the Phishing Filter turned on, a user would be warned of this possible activity prior to accessing the site.

- Security Status Bar:
You will not notice the Security Status Bar until you have entered an area that requires per-sonal identifying information. While many of the sites that you visit are trusted and the need for accessing this status bar is un-necessary, it couJd prove helpful if you are accessing a site that you have never purchased any¬thing from before. You will see the Status Bar at the right side of your address bar (where you en¬ter in a web sites address). It is a little yellow l<tck. When you click the yellow'lock image, ypu will invoke a separate window and will offer advice that could help keep you safe from any possible fraudulent activity ..

Closing Comments:
As you can see after reading this article, Microsoft has ad-dressed many important security concerns with the Windows Vistaxelease. Is it perfect? Absolutely not! In fact, there is much more work to be done. As the Internet evolves, it will be necessary to make constant changes to ensure people are safe from data theft and identity theft. I think Microsoft fully understands its responsibilities to its customers and has demonstrated with this latest release their dedication to Internet security.