This document contains some thoughts about the storage and comparison of URLs, common operations crucial to the correct function of security software like Microsoft SmartScreen. Importantly, URLs are also displayed on security surfaces to enable the user to make a decision based on their contents. Eight years ago, I wrote the Guidelines for URL Display.Continue reading “Guidelines for URL Storage and Comparison”
Tag Archives: browsers
Security Surfaces
An important concept in Usable Security is whether a given UI represents a “security surface.” Formally, a security surface is a User Interface component in which the user is presented with information they rely upon to make a security decision. For example, in the browser, the URL in the address bar is a security surface.Continue reading “Security Surfaces”
Family Safety Content Filtering
Microsoft Family Safety is a feature of Windows that allows parents to control their children’s access to apps and content in Windows. The feature is tied to the user accounts of the parent(s) and child(ren). When I visit https://family.microsoft.com and log in with my personal Microsoft Account, I’m presented with the following view: The “Nate”Continue reading “Family Safety Content Filtering”
Web Category Filtering
Since the first days of the web, users and administrators have sought to control the flow of information from the Internet to the local device. There are many different ways to implement internet filters, and numerous goals that organizations may want to achieve: Today’s post explores the last of these: blocking content based on category.Continue reading “Web Category Filtering”
Browser Features: Find in Page
For busy web users, the humble Find-in-Page feature in the browser is one of the most important features available. While Google or Bing can get you to the page you’re looking for faster than ever before, once you get to that page, you’ve got to find the information you’re looking for1, and that’s where Find-in-PageContinue reading “Browser Features: Find in Page”