Topic: Should you continue to use Internet Explorer?

[Simon]

Is it safe to Explore?

Rory Cellan-Jones
16 Dec 08, 13:38 GMT

If the average computer user read the Microsoft security advisory about the Internet Explorer vulnerability - and you'd struggle to find it if you weren't looking - you might be none the wiser about how serious this was, or what action you should take.

A long way down comes this line: "An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user." As far as I understand it, that means there is a real danger that Internet Explorer 7 users (and possibly users of other versions of IE) could be opening the door to cyber criminals to allow them to ransack the contents of your hard drive. In other words, it is a pretty serious situation.

So when I spoke to John Curran, head of Windows at Microsoft UK, I had three questions.

1. How serious is this?

Mr Curran told me that only a tiny proportion of websites were infected, but given the sheer scale of today's web, that could affect a large number of people. So, he said, "it is certainly something people should take seriously."

2. So what should IE users do?

Microsoft is working on a patch but in the meantime Mr Curran said there were four steps to take:

- make sure anti-virus software is up to date.
- run Internet Explorer 7 or 8 in "protected mode".
- set Internet Explorer zone security setting to "High"
- Windows users should enable Automatic Updates so that they get any patch that is issued.

But of course doing all of that is not only time-consuming, it will make your web browsing experience slower and less rewarding. Which brings us to the final question.

3. Shouldn't you switch to another browser until the patch come out?

This has been the advice of a number of security firms - who of course are also touting their latest anti-virus products - but you won't be surprised to hear that Mr Curran disagrees. He told me he had recently seen a report which listed another browser as having the highest number of vulnerabilities. "it would not be advisable," he said,"to send people from one vulnerability (in Internet Explorer) to multiple vulnerabilities."

But given the choice between messing around with Internet Explorer and so enduring a second-rate browsing experience until the hole is fixed, or running Firefox, Safari or Opera, aren't quite a few people likely to switch? This could be the moment when the minnows in the browser wars finally score a significant victory.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/

[sam]

just use f***ing firefox.

[Simon]

Tell it like it is, Sam! 

[David]

I switched to FF 3 and Im really impressed it seems to be better

[Simon]

I don't know how much better FF3 is to FF2, but I've not had a problem with either.

[Simon]

Oh, sorry David, I misread you.  Yes, FF3 is much better than IE.    I heard Sam is going for the job as Head of Advertising! 

[GillE]

just use f***ing firefox.

I prefer Mozilla Firefox.

[gmax]

people who use Internet Explorer deserve everything they get!

[sam]

I heard Sam is going for the job as Head of Advertising! 

lol. Clear, honest and to the point mate - you can't do that in advertising!

[David]

"Its the way I write them Simon" 

[Simon]

 

[Rik]

people who use Internet Explorer deserve everything they get!

Unfortunately, they tend to then share it with the rest of us.

[David]

Its a minefield for the ordinary person though surely,if you buy a Sat Nav you dont expect to have to change the basic data which comes with it,how are they supposed to even have an inkling and Im sure there are hundreds of thousands of people who only turn it on and this issue is now in the papers today I wonder how many are now paying people to come and what they think will be a big job,changing the browser,many I know dont even know what it is.......so I do feel for them as they will hand over wads of cash to get prtected or be terrified of going online......I have this problem daily as I have only just got the knack of swithing it on 

The almost daily development of the internet is hard to keep up with and the  PC worlds of this country are filled daily with these people who really havnt any idea if what is sold as so called user freindly which it is to a degree but fraught with problems if you wish to do more than send Emails and the like  ':|

[sam]

doesn't help that the people who staff these places have no fundamental idea about computing. Well that's probably not true but most of the staff don't appear to. I think most tend to only know what other colours things come in. Come on people get an education. I sometimes think people should be given a proper guide on how todo things on the computer before they leave the shop. Though I think I'd be annoyed by that treatment. When my girlfriend bought her new laptop recently the woman at PC World was trying heavily to get us to buy their computer protection software.. I was trying to avoid having a rant so I just said - "oh, no need, the first thing I will be doing when we get home is wipe this s**t operating system and install Ubuntu - then it will be nice and secure."

[Rik]

MS are pushing out a patch later today (18:00).