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Security, Privacy, and What Your Browser Settings for WebTycho Mean

Privacy and security, always an important issue, have recently been more prominent. WebTycho requires certain settings for both Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator in order to work properly -- does this mean compromising security or privacy in order to use WebTycho? Certainly not. Cookies WebTycho needs to have cookies enabled in order to keep track of the users as they move from page to page within the application. Otherwise, WebTycho would not be able to know which classroom pages to send to you after you leave the log-in page. Cookies are small text files that get saved on your harddrive that contain variables. These are commonly used on many sites, especially those where you have to log in. Only the site that placed the cookie on your machine can read it again, so WebTycho can't tell what other sites you've been visiting and other sites can't tell that you've been using WebTycho. All cookies set by WebTycho are automatically deleted when you shut down your browser and you cannot get a virus through cookies. Pop-Up/Ad Blockers Several Internet service providers offer a pop-up or ad blockers. Some browsers, like Netscape Navigator 7, also offer this. These services block those annoying ads that pop up when you view pages on the web. Unfortunately, they also block the pages that WebTycho needs to "pop open" to provide you with important information, like when your log-in expires. Some blockers allow you "exempt" some sites from being blocked. You may want to do this for UMUC sites. If you prefer to view other pages on the web with a blocker on, WebTycho provides instructions how to change your settings in Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. Java Security Warning Some components of WebTycho, like the optional text formatting editor or the chat feature, use the Java language. The first time you use some of these options, you might be presented a warning asking you whether you want to install and run a "signed applet". These will generally come with a notice that it comes from a trusted site with an authority confirming its certificate's authenticity. Because Java applets (small applications run from within a browser window) can have access to your harddrive, your browser will ask for permission before allowing them to run. If you get the notification shortly after you start one of these tools, it is generally safe to grant permission. If you're unsure, you can give permission just for that one session to "minimize your exposure", so to speak. More information on Java is available from the WebTycho help page about Java. Windows Update If you are using a Windows-based computer, periodically you may see a notice about updating Windows. This how Microsoft distributes updates and fixes to security holes in the Windows software. Doing this regularly will protect your computer and will not compromise your privacy. WebTycho provides instructions on how to access Windows Update. Firewall / Trusted Site It's a good idea to use a firewall whenever you're connected to the Internet, this is especially true if you use a broadband connection, like a cable-modem or DSL, where you keep the same Internet address (called an "IP address") for a much longer time. A firewall is a tool that manages what information can enter or leave your computer. There are several products that you can use, and each one has different settings. Depending on the level of security you feel comfortable, you may want to provide freer access for some sites than others. For some of these, you may want to list WebTycho as a "trusted site", so it will freely let information between your computer and WebTycho instead of constantly asking you whether you want to permit this transfer. Because these programs can be quite complex sometimes, a few users have experienced difficulties. When diagnosing particularly difficult problems, support staff have had to ask the user to completely uninstall their firewall to rule out the possibility that the firewall is causing the problem. This is always a temporary measure for diagnostic purposes only, and not meant to imply that users should get rid of their firewalls to use WebTycho.

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