About HTML Reading Pane security in NEO

Topic T1014 Applies to All NEO products


Basic Description

The default HTML Reading Pane viewer within NEO is the Microsoft (MS) HTML Viewer, which is a component of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE). This HTML viewer is the same viewer that is used in the Outlook preview pane.


Alternate NEO HTML viewer

NEO includes an alternate HTML viewer. This alternate NEO HTML viewer may be selected if you are particularly concerned about IE security issues. See NEO Tools menu | Options | Reading Pane - click "More info" for additional information about the NEO internal Reading Pane's features and limitations.


Security and Reading Panes

In general, message preview panes can and have been vulnerable to email viruses and that using the Microsoft IE HTML Viewer in the NEO Reading Pane is no more risky than in the Outlook preview pane, and may be safer.

When choosing the Microsoft IE HTML Viewer, the default security settings are as follows:

* Default security zone of URLZONE_UNTRUSTED (Restricted Sites);
* Scripts, Java and ActiveX controls are disabled.

The above default security zone may be overridden by setting the Outlook security zone settings to another value in ' Options | Security ', however, NEO also ensures scripts (including Java scripts) will never run and ActiveX controls are deactivated regardless of your version of Outlook or security zone settings.

You get the latest version of the MS HTML viewer whenever you update your Internet Explorer. To minimize security risks Microsoft strongly recommends that you always download and install the latest critical security updates for Internet Explorer. To get the latest update from Microsoft, click here. This can also be automated if you wish by using Microsoft's Windows Update.
NEO's Internal HTML Viewer is safe regardless of your version of Outlook or your security zone settings, but is not as rich in its HTML rendering capabilities.


Additional HTML viewing options available

To enhance privacy, it is possible to block downloading all Internet content. This may be desirable, particularly to prevent notification of e-mail receipt to spam senders, since often, during the action of downloading a URL, a notification of e-mail receipt is returned to spam senders that encoded with information that identifies the user.

To find out more on Internet security go to Internet Explorer Help.


Last updated: 19 May 2004