Outlook 2003 comes with some neat new security features. Spammers are always coming up with new tricks to make their mailing lists reach as many people as possible. One trick is to include a very small picture file in a spam e-mail. When that picture is opened (which can happen just by viewing the message in the preview pane), it sends a message back to the spammer to let them know that this e-mail address is active.

 

Microsoft has taken steps to prevent this from happening. You can change how HTML and other active content (like scripts) is treated by following these steps:

-       Click the Tools menu

-       Click Options

-       Click the Security Tab

-       Click Change Automatic Download Settings button.

 

Once you complete those steps, this window will appear:

 

 

The first option tells Outlook not to download active content in HTML e-mail. If this option is unchecked, Outlook will not protect you against active content in received e-mail. As well, the next two options will not be available.

 

The first sub-option tells Outlook to download active content in e-mail from safe senders. The second sub-option tells Outlook that it can also download active content if the Web site is in the trusted sites list in Internet Explorer. (For example, if you get a newsletter from www.acmecompany.com, Outlook will check to see if that site is in your Trusted Sites list and then act accordingly.)

 

If the last option is checked, Outlook will warn you that it is downloading active content when you edit, forward, or reply to an e-mail that has blocked content in it.

 

Once you’re done editing those options, click the OK button to apply them.

 

Here’s an example of an e-mail with some blocked content:

 

 

You can see that there in two places, Outlook notifies you that it has blocked content. If you right-click either spot, you’ll have this menu:

 

 

You can choose to download the pictures just this one time, to change the automatic download settings, or add the sender or the sender’s domain to the safe senders list. (Depending on your download settings, adding a sender or their domain to the safe senders list may stop Outlook from blocking content for all future e-mails from them.)

 

If you just click Download Pictures, Outlook will prompt you whether or not to save changes when you close the e-mail. If you click Yes, it will remember your settings for this e-mail only. (That way, if you open the message again the content won’t be blocked.) If you click No, it will block the content again and you will have to re-enable it the next time you open the message.