Yes, Microsoft has announced yet another security hole in
their Internet Explorer web browser. Why is that
and what’s the matter with Microsoft? Can’t
they make a safe and ‘secure’ browser for us?
The simple answer is NO! The problem is that since Internet
Explorer is installed in hundreds of millions of Windows based
systems in operation on the Internet, it is by far the biggest
target of online vandals and Microsoft haters.
What can you and I do? Well, maybe it’s time to
switch browsers! Before we start,
for those of you that have not visited
the Windows Update web site (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com)
for a couple of weeks, it is imperative that you
do so immediately as a temporary work-around for this latest
(very dangerous) exploit has been posted.
Microsoft’s proprietary ‘Active X’ controls,
which are part of Internet Explorer, are designed to
work directly with the Windows operating
system and many applications. This ‘integrated’
functionality is often times the Achilles heel when
it comes to security in Microsoft’s browser.
It’s the classic compromise between functionality and
security. In most computer based systems, the more
functional it is the less secure and vice versa.
As Microsoft adds new tools to make their browser more useful,
malicious users find ways to
exploit these tools to attack those that use them.
By installing and using a different browser such
as Mozilla or Opera, you can
very often side-step many of
the targeted attacks against users of Microsoft’s Windows
based systems.
In the past, hardcore technology fans were the biggest users
of these alternative browsers, but many
security firms (such as the U.S. Computer Emergency
Readiness Team – www.cert.org) are now suggesting that
switching to one of them may be a good idea.
In my experience, I have seen some users have problems after
installing an alternative browser (mainly Netscape), so my
only word of caution is to make sure you don’t already
have other issues before you install an alternate browser.
If you are experiencing any kind of problem or strange
behavior in your system, be
sure to resolve those issues before
introducing another variable, such as an alternative browser,
to the mix.
For the most part, Mozilla (www.mozilla.org)
and Opera (www.opera.com)
seem to be the most
widely recommended alternative browsers
and both have free versions available for download.
Personally, I use Mozilla’a Firefox and I love it.
Once you get used to it, you’ll love the way it uses
tabs to open new pages!
While these browsers have all
of the critical needs for browsing,
they may not function exactly the same way as Internet Explorer,
so allow yourself some time to learn how they work.
Corporate users that connect through a VPN or other
systems that are controlled by a
centralized IT department should check
with their administrators before installing and/or
using these browsers, just to play it safe (and to keep your
computer guru happy!)
