Posted on 06/30/2004 9:38:30 AM PDT by demlosers
THE US GOVERNMENT has sent out a warning out to internet users through its Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), pleading users to stop using Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Following a malware attack last week which targeted a known flaw in IE, like so many other attacks, the US-CERT recommended using alternative browsers thanks to their increased security. Microsoft is hurriedly trying to increase IE's security with the Windows XP Service Pack 2, but it's not fast enough for many.
In a vulnerability note released by US-CERT, it says "there are a number of significant vulnerabilities in technologies relating to the IE domain" and that "it is possible to reduce exposure to these vulnerabilities by using a different web browser." Well, they're right.
The latest "extremely critical" IE bug has still not been patched by Microsoft. µ
Interesting. Any idea which alternate browsers were recommended?
Of course it would be asking too much to run a decent virus scanner, and perhaps the free version of ZoneAlarm.
Just downloaed Firefox last Tuesday. Love it. IE,,,,,,,,bu-buy.
It is hard to believe how many executable files can get loaded to your hard drive and run when you surf the net using IE. It is sad that you must check your computer daily because IE has so many holes.
Is the only reason alternative browsers are not being exploited that no one is using them?
http://www.mozilla.org
It's great, if you are an IE user you'll hardly notice the difference, other than it's faster, doesn't crash, has easier controls for security settings, has a built-in popup suppressor, and doesn't open you up to hack attempts.
Mozilla.org for one.
Of course. I mean, it's all Microsoft's fault that few people use Anti-Virus and Firewalls that are freely available, and it's all Microsoft's fault that scumbags create viruses, trojans, malware etc...
It's all Microsoft's fault /sarcasm
I have had virus scanners harm my system as much as any viruses. The cure is almost as bad as the disease.
No, it is because unlike IE they are not integrally tied into the operating system, and thus there is no potential to directly manipulate the operating system functions without the user's active cooperation.
The real answer is Mozilla or Netscape. You could also take a loot at Opera.
Correct. Most home PC owners are useing IE. Doesn't make sense to target smaller markets. Opera is a closed source code so it is a little more protected.
I use Opera and it's great!
www.opera.com
This is the second report that I've seen about CERT recommending using a browser different from IE - but I haven't seen anything from CERT (e-mail) or anything on their website.
I'm tired of the IE crap, and I'm using Firefox right now (so far I'm OK with it). It is free, and can be downloaded from:
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/download.html?http%3A//ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/0.9.1/FirefoxSetup-0.9.1.exe
I really don't believe that anything on the internet is REALLY safe, and constant vigilance is the only answer to protect yourself, however with the latest exploit unpatched by MS (only increased the security level, the underlying issue was not fixed) as of yet, I've decided to use an application that isn't as popular.
They didn't make any specific recomendations.
"Use a different web browser
There are a number of significant vulnerabilities in technologies relating to the IE domain/zone security model, the DHTML object model, MIME type determination, and ActiveX. It is possible to reduce exposure to these vulnerabilities by using a different web browser, especially when browsing untrusted sites. Such a decision may, however, reduce the functionality of sites that require IE-specific features such as DHTML, VBScript, and ActiveX. Note that using a different web browser will not remove IE from a Windows system, and other programs may invoke IE, the WebBrowser ActiveX control, or the HTML rendering engine (MSHTML)."
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/713878
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No, though this is likely a major reason. Another major problem is that IE's design emphasizes features and ease-of-use over security, with the result being that security holes are more easily found and exploited.
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