TABLE OF CONTENTS As you saw in Chapter 6, Outlook 2003 blocks file attachments that could run code that might harm the user s machine. It also has features that make it much more difficult for a malicious program to harvest addresses from Outlook or to send messages without the user s knowledge.
Microsoft Exchange Server administrators can exert some control over both the attachment-blocking and the security-prompt behaviors through the use of a special folder in the Public Folders hierarchy on the Exchange server. This folder can contain both user-specific items for individual users and a default-settings item that applies to everyone else. In each security-settings item, the available options cover attachment blocking, COM add-in trusts, and programmatic access to properties and methods that a malicious program could use to harvest addresses from Outlook or send messages without the user s knowledge. With a Group Policy Object (GPO) setting or user-preference registry value (described in Section 7.3), Outlook can be directed to look to this folder to determine which security options should apply to the current user.
| Note | The Security Settings folder is available only in Microsoft Exchange Server organizations and works with any version of Exchange. If your organization doesn t use Exchange, nothing in this chapter applies to you. |
In this chapter, you will learn the following:
Where to obtain and how to install the Outlook Administrator Pack, which contains the tools to administer the Outlook Security Settings folder
How to set up the Outlook Security Settings folder, create individual security-settings...
