If you elect to run the Automatic Security Tune-Up Secure IE will check each security configuration setting found in Internet Explorer and configure them according to default standards provided with Secure IE. Secure IE applies different default settings to each of the Internet Security Zones in Internet Explorer.
Selecting Advanced Internet Security Settings will bring up a matrix showing various security settings and their current configuration across each of the Internet Security Zones.
The default settings seem to provide good security- much better than the default Internet Explorer settings. For the most part Secure IE does not add security functionality to Internet Explorer. However, Internet Explorer has many security settings which are not Enabled by default and users don't know how to configure them. Secure IE automates the default setting of security so users don't need to figure out how to do it and provides much easier access to the security settings for future reference.
For example, Secure IE 2003 adds three buttons to the menu bar at the top of the screen. Popups, Flash and ActiveX. Each button shows you the current state for that item- Blocked or Allowed. The user can change it from Blocked to Allowed or vice versa simply by clicking the button. Using the standard Internet Explorer would require between 5 and 10 mouse-clicks and knowing your way through a few different levels of menus to find the correct security setting.
Secure IE also offers users the ability to assign any web site to a different Security Zone by simply right-clicking on the current Security Zone at the bottom right of the screen and clicking on the new zone to assign it to. Doing this in Internet Explorer requires navigating through more than half a dozen screens.