Internet Explorer is dangerous

Unsafe

Internet Explorer is the single most actively exploited piece of software on most computers. A majority of computer spyware and adware makes its way onto your computer through its security holes. Once your computer is hit with a spyware or adware attack, Microsoft says the only solution may be to dump your system and start from scratch.

These security holes are due to fundamental flaws in the design of Internet Explorer, as well as Microsoft's slow and ineffective security response process. According to a Security Fix study, a fully-updated Internet Explorer was found to be “unsafe” for 78% of the year 2006, while its main competitor, Firefox, was “unsafe” for only 2% of the year. In May 2006, PC World named Internet Explorer the 8th worst tech product of all time, stating that it “might be the least secure software on the planet”. Through Internet Explorer, you could have your identity stolen and your bank account wiped clean, or your system could be destroyed and all of your important files deleted.

The following is a brief summary of the vulnerability levels in the three most popular web browsers. The information was collected from Secunia, a leading computer software security monitoring company. The vulnerability information was last updated February 10, 2009. For more details, see the Web browser security summary resource.

Security vulnerabilities

Aspect	Internet Explorer	Firefox	Safari	Opera
Highest values at one time
Vulnerability reports	39	9	2	4
Vulnerability issues	41	13	3	8
Relative danger	204	44	20	27
Present values
Vulnerability reports	38	5	2	1
Vulnerability issues	40	6	3	1
Relative danger	161	19	8	1

It is also important to consider how quickly each web browser fixes its vulnerabilities. The following table lists the average time taken to fix each vulnerability. Values listed are in days.

Patch delay (in days)

Average	Internet Explorer	Firefox	Safari	Opera
Per vulnerability report
Overall mean	3592	945	2910	298
Overall median	5826	42	2889	35
High severity mean	400	13	21	8
High severity median	53	10	21	8
Weighted by relative danger
Overall mean	2511	782	1947	159
Overall median	121	23	23	23
High severity mean	364	13	21	7
High severity median	52	10	21	1

The following graph illustrates the present relative danger in each browser over time. Higher levels mean greater danger. The graph spans from February 9, 2004 to today.

Primitive

In today's fast growing Internet world, we are seeing a greater demand for web applications that are both powerful and versatile. This calls for new technologies to be developed, and quickly. In order to create and organize these new technologies, a standards body called the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) formed. Their members include people from many of the world's largest technology companies, all working together to develop technology standards that will take the Internet to the next level and beyond.

Unfortunately, in the last several years, one of the most significant members of the W3C has failed to adopt the very standards that it helped to create. Microsoft, feeling confident with Internet Explorer holding over 90% of the market, stopped adding the new technological developments to its web browser. With Microsoft's incredible weight in the market and unwillingness to develop their browser, these technologies have been unable to see the light of day.

By 2006, Internet Explorer had fallen nearly a decade behind in Internet technology. Practically all of the standards that it supports are met and exceeded by other competing browsers, who are now diving deep into a new world of Internet technology that Internet Explorer has yet to touch. While Internet Explorer is in high use, web developers are forced to either stay with outdated technology, often costing them double or triple the time and money, or turn away a majority of their potential visitors.

The following table is a summary of web technology support among the three most popular web browsers, including the new version of Internet Explorer (IE 7).

Standards support

Technology	IE 6	IE 7	Firefox 2	Firefox 3	Opera 9
HTML / XHTML	73%	73%	90%	90%	85%
CSS 2.1	51%	57%	92%	93%	94%
DOM	50%	51%	79%	?	84%

Firefox

Firefox is a new free web browser that is quickly gaining massive popularity and a lot of media attention. It is all-around safer, easier, and more useful than Internet Explorer. Since its premier in November 2004, it has been downloaded over 300 million times and is now used by 10% - 20% of the public.

On top of popular modern features like tabbed browsing, phishing protection, and popup blocking, Firefox offers a wide range of features not available in Internet Explorer:

• Spell checking: When you're writing messages in a message board, blog, or web-based e-mail, misspelled words are indicated with a red underline as you type them.

• Session restore: If something causes Firefox to crash, you will be brought right back to where you were, including any form information you were in the process of filling out.

• Extensions: Firefox has a unique “extension” system that allows you to easily install small plugins to add any variety of features you can dream of. Do you want to use Firefox to chat with people online? Grab the ChatZilla extension. Do you want Firefox to get rid of all banner ads on the websites you visit? Grab the AdBlock extension.

• Web technology: Firefox has some of the best support for the latest developments in web technology. This means that it offers support for high-end web applications, rich webpage designs, and other features that allow for powerful, interactive websites.

• Security: Security is a top priority in Firefox. Unlike Internet Explorer, Firefox was built from the ground up with a security-conscious architecture. It won't install things behind your back like Internet Explorer often does, and it will always warn you if you're about to do something to compromise your security. While no browser offers perfect security, Firefox's quick and thorough security team keeps it a much safer alternative to Internet Explorer.

Switching to Firefox is easy. Your Favorites, passwords, and other settings from Internet Explorer are carried on to Firefox automatically, so you don't need to worry about losing anything. Setup is quick and easy, and no technical skills are required to get Firefox running on your system.

Here are some official Instructions for switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox.

Get Firefox!

Opera

If you're looking for a second option, try out Opera. Opera is very small and lightweight, yet is packed with useful features. Like Firefox, it offers tabbed browsing, phishing protection, popup blocking, and better security, and it's also completely free.

Although Opera doesn't have the robust extension system that Firefox offers, it comes with many more features right out of the box:

• E-mail: Rather than having a separate e-mail application like Outlook, you can use the e-mail interface built right into Opera. Learn more...

• Chat: Opera has support for Internet Relay Chat (IRC). This allows you to have quick back-and-forth conversations with one or more people online. Learn more...

• Voice: Sit back and tell your browser what to do, or rest your eyes and let it read the webpage aloud. Opera for Windows supports advanced speech features that allow you to surf the Web with just a microphone and speakers. Learn more...

Here are some official Instructions for switching from Internet Explorer to Opera.

Get Opera!

Flock

Flock is a free cutting-edge social web browser that is based on Firefox and optimized for blogging, newsreading, sharing photos, and generally making the most of the modern Web. If you are regularly involved in these kinds of social aspects of the Web, Flock may prove to be an ideal out-of-the-box browser for you. Like Firefox, Flock supports its own brand of over a hundred extensions that can further enhance your Web experience.

Get Flock!