It is now official, you should stop using Microsoft's Internet Explorer IMMEDIATELY. CERT (part of the US Department of Homeland Security) has made an official recommendation to switch to a real browser. There has been news about this all week.
It would appear that some individuals have combined the known vulnerabilities in Microsoft's Internet Information Server and Internet Explorer to render Internet Explorer completely insecure (as if it ever was very secure to begin with). This latest exploit will steal your online banking information even if you have an SSL connection. It is only a matter of time before more exploits are made to take advantage of these vulnerabilities.
According to Secunia Internet Explorer has 54 current advisories, including this one. Opera on the other hand has 25 advisories. The most secure browser would be FireFox or Mozilla has only 3 advisories each.
It is worth noting that if you use one of the many browsers that use Internet Explorer to render pages then you are also vulnerable.
It would appear that most people just stick with the default browser that comes with their computer, never bothering to upgrade. As a result they have made a very attractive, homogenous target for exploit writers. Using IE because it came with your computer is like buying a picture frame and leaving the sample picture in it.
People argue that they only reason we see so many exploits for Microsoft products is because the exploit writers dislike Microsoft. This defense is like saying that the only reason the crime rate is so high in your neighborhood is because of all the gang violence. Just like people choose safer neighborhoods to live in, we should choose safer browsers to use on the Internet
Remember, only terrorists use Internet Explorer . . ..
No comments:
Post a Comment