Improve Web security with Group Policy settings

Question: Our computers access the Internet through a proxy server. I have to configure the proxy settings on a per-user and per-computer basis, which makes for very time-consuming work. How can I use Group Policy so that I don't need to log on to each computer as the user to enter the proxy settings?
- Question posed by a SearchWindowsSecurity.com reader.

Windows networking expert Brad Dinerman offers this response:

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 To get around that manual labor, you can create a Group Policy. First, log on to a server or administrative workstation that has the proxy settings correctly configured. Then start your Group Policy management console and create a policy on the appropriate user and computer Organizational Units (I like to do both) as follows:

  • Give the policy a name, such as "Configure Proxy Settings" (or any other friendly name you want).

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  • Set security on the policy. Add those users and/or computers to which this policy should apply. If you want it to apply to all computers on the domain and for all users, then add the Domain Computers and Authenticated Users groups, respectively.

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  • Right click the policy name and select Edit.

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  • Drill down to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Internet Explorer.

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  • Enable the setting in the right pane for "Make Proxy Settings Per-Machine" (rather than Per-User).

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  • Drill down to User Configuration > Windows Settings > Internet Explorer Maintenance > Connection.

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  • In the right pane, double-click the Connection Settings node.

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  • Select the option to "Import the Current Connection Settings from this machine."

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  • Customize the settings if desired.

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  • Click OK.

 


This was first published in October 2007

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