Web-Browser Configuration

The Web-Browser configuration OIT wiki page is designed to provide detailed information, and guidance regarding the configuration and usage of various web-browsers listed.

This is both a description of how-to configure, and a best practices guide for web-browsers. The information provided will enhance user knowledge of web-browsers configuration and operation with the goal of providing secure access to UCI ¹, UCI-OIT ², and UC ³ applications and web-sites.

¹ UCI — University of California, Irvine.
² UCI-OIT and OIT — Office of Information and Technology.
³ UC — University of California.

Please refer to the following external web-sites for information pertaining to Web-Browser terminology, technologies, and detailed "how-to" instructions.

• Web-Browser history
• A list of past, and present web-browsers
• Mobile device Web-Browsers
• Web-Browser Markup Languages / Document Content
  • HTML
    • HTML description
  • XHTML
  • HTML5
  • XML
  • Cascading Style Sheets ¹
  • SGML
• Web-Browser interpretive languages.
  • PHP script language
  • ECMAScript²
    • JavaScript³
    • ActionScript⁴
    • JScript⁵
• Web-Browser Java Applets
  • Java Applet
  • Ruby
  • Jython

¹ CCS is "Cascading Style Sheets"
² Parent web-browser scripting language of the following languages — JavaScript, ActionScript, and JScript.
³ Ubiquitous and prevalently used of the common web-browser scripting languages.
⁴ Adobe corporation's specialized scripting language.
⁵ Microsoft corporation's Internet Explorer scripting language.

General Web-Browser Configuration Notes.

• Enable Pop-Window blocking. ¹
  • Selectivity allow web-sites to display Pop-Windows only if required for the application function properly.
• Disable Java. ²
  • Enable Java only when it is necessary for accessing web-site / application functionality.
  • Once access to the web-site / application is completed then disable Java.
• Enable JavaScript.
  • Selective display JavaScript if you are accessing a web-sites of unknown trust that are potential security risks.
• Use https when accessing UC, UCI, and UCI-OIT web-sites whenever possible.
• Always follow UCI and UC security policies — Security Wiki Pages

¹ Web-browser Pop-Window information
² Java Virtual Machine information

FireFox Web-Browser Configuration.

• FireFox Web-Browser home web-page

Start the FireFox in order to configure the following user defined settings.

• Start FireFox web-browser application.
  • If you have multiple FireFox user profiles defined then configuration of user defined setting is required for each profile defined. ¹
• Open the FireFox options window.
  • Windows and Linux Select Tools --> Options
  • Mac Computers
    • Select the FireFox application window to make the "active" application.
    • Select FireFox --> Preferences OR Command key + ,

The FireFox options ("preferences") window appears, and the following user option sections are displayed.
Windows System – Open FireFox web-browser options window

• General – Configure the following general preferences. – General or Main Preferences Figure
  • Startup home page display URL ² value.
  • File download processing, and save to directory location.
  • Plugin management and preferences.
• Tabs – Configure Tab browsing settings.
• Content preferences - Web-page content browser settings.
  • Block pop-up windows.
    • Enable blocking pop-up windows, and only allow selected application web-sites to open pop-up windows.
  • Enable "Load images automatically."
  • Enable JavaScript
  • Enable JavaScript processing for web-sites, but if there is a doubt regarding the authenticity, functionality or trust-worthiness of a specific web-site then either disable JavaScript and proceed, or do not visit the web-site.
    • Note OIT web applications utilize JavaScript in order to function correctly.
  • Disable Java / Do not select: "Enable Java."

• Privacy Preferences.

• Security Preferences figure
  • Enable – "Warn me when sites try to install add-ons."
  • Enable – "Block reported attack sites."
  • Enable – "Block reported web forgeries."
  • Disable – "Remember passwords for sites."
  • Disable – "Use a master password."

• Advanced Settings figure

² URL – Uniform Resource Locator

¹ Creating and managing FireFox user profiles

• Microsoft Internet Explorer Web-Browser home web-page

• Google Chrome Web-Browser home web-page

Start Google Chrome Web-Browser

• Open the Chrome web-browser option's window by selecting the "tools icon", which is the icon in upper right hand corner following the URL input line that looks like a wrench / spanner.
• Refer to this figure How-to open Chrome's options window
• Select Options and the Google Chrome Options window appears.

• Basics settings – Basic options window
• Personal Stuff settings
  • Ignore setting the Sync options.
  • Select the "Never save passwords" option.
  • Select the "Disable AutoFill" option.

• Section One – Under the Hood or Bonnet advanced Chrome Browser settings

• • Select the Content settings button and configure the following.
  • Cookies Preferences
    • Select "Ask me when a site tries to set cookie data."
    • Select "Block all third-party cookies without exception."
    • Select "Clear cookies and other site data when I close my browser."

• • Image Preferences.
    • Select "Show all images."

• • JavaScript Preferences
  • Select "Allow all sites to run JavaScript"
  • Enable JavaScript processing for web-sites, but if there is a doubt regarding the authenticity, functionality or trust-worthiness of a specific web-site then either disable JavaScript and proceed, or do not visit the web-site.
  • Note OIT web applications utilize JavaScript in order to function correctly.

• • Plug-ins Preferences
  • Select "Allow all sites to use plug-ins."
    • For increased security – Select "Do not allow any sites to use plug-ins." And create a web-site exceptions list that includes web-sites that need to run plug-ins to function correctly.

• • Pop-ups window preferences
  • Select "Do not allow any site to show pop-ups." – (i.e. Pop-up Window)

• • Location Tracking Preferences
  • Select "Ask me when a site tries to track my physical location."
  • or Select "Do not allow any site to track my physical location."

• Section Two – Under the Hood or Bonnet advanced Chrome Browser settings