Controlling Automatic Downloads

Images and other online content present another potential hazard in e-mail, because you usually, at minimum, confirm that your e-mail address is valid when you download this content. Content from unknown sources can also be malicious, containing Trojan horses, viruses, and so on.

The new Trust Center, shown in Figure 12-3, lets you decide when Outlook 2007 should download external content in e-mail messages, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) items, and Microsoft Office SharePoint® discussion boards. The Safe Senders and Safe Recipients lists can be used to determine downloading settings, as can Security Zones.

Configure Automatic Download options in the Trust Center.

Figure 12-3. Configure Automatic Download options in the Trust Center.

The Automatic Download options are described in the following list:

  • Don’t Download Pictures Automatically In HTML E-Mail Messages Or RSS Items. This setting prevents images from downloading to your computer automatically, except as directed by additional settings in this screen. Blocking automatic image downloads protects you from spammers who use your connection to their server to verify your identity as well as from malicious content (a Trojan horse disguised as an image, for example).

  • Permit Downloads In E-Mail Messages From Senders And To Recipients Defined In The Safe Senders And Safe Recipients Lists Used By The Junk E-Mail Filter. You can tell Outlook 2007 to use the safe lists that you have created to determine which images it will download automatically. This lets you see images from those sources that you have already decided you trust while blocking other images.

  • Permit Downloads From Web Sites In This Security Zone: Trusted Zone. Content that resides on a Web site that is included in the Trusted Security Zone is downloaded automatically when this setting is enabled. This lets you receive images and other content from trusted sources such as corporate servers or partners based on a common list, reducing the amount of configuration needed.

  • Permit Downloads In RSS Items. Control over images downloading in RSS feeds is configured separately, allowing you to block images in RSS feeds without affecting e-mail messages.

  • Permit Downloads In SharePoint Discussion BoardsYou can configure whether to download content from SharePoint discussion boards separately, offering you finer control over the content that is downloaded to your computer.

  • Warn Me Before Downloading Content When Editing, Forwarding, Or Replying To E-Mail. If this setting is enabled, Outlook 2007 will warn you before downloading content in messages that you are replying to, forwarding, or editing. If you choose to not download the images and continue with your actions, Outlook 2007 will remove the images from the message, and the recipient will not be able to retrieve them. This is an improvement over Microsoft Outlook 2003, in which you could complete your operation only if you downloaded the images.

Configuring Automatic Downloading of External Content

To configure image downloading, start Outlook 2007, and then follow these steps:

  1. Choose Tools, Trust Center, and then select Automatic Download to view the options for handling image downloads (shown earlier, in Figure 12-3).

  2. To stop Outlook 2007 from automatically downloading images, select the Don’t Download Pictures Automatically In HTML E-Mail Messages Or RSS Items check box.

    Caution

    If this check box is not selected, all other options on this screen will be unavailable, and all images will be displayed, creating potential security risks.

  3. If you want to view images from sources you trust, select the Permit Downloads In E-Mail Messages From Senders And To Recipients Defined In The Safe Senders And Safe Recipients Lists Used By The Junk E-Mail Filter check box.

  4. To allow sites you trust to download images, select Permit Downloads From Web Sites In This Security Zone: Trusted Zone.

  5. If you want to view images in RSS feeds, select Permit Downloads In RSS Items.

  6. To view images from SharePoint sites, select Permit Downloads In SharePoint Discussion Boards.

  7. If you want Outlook 2007 to alert you that images are being downloaded when you take action on an e-mail message, select Warn Me Before Downloading Content When Editing, Forwarding, Or Replying To E-Mail.

  8. Apply the changes by clicking OK.

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