Websurfers urged to avoid using IE
Technology 06/25/2004 |Wow — another big reason to move to a better browser:
Users are being told to avoid using Internet Explorer until Microsoft patches a serious security hole in it.
The loophole is being exploited to open a backdoor on a PC that could let criminals take control of a machine. The threat of infection is so high because the code created to exploit the loophole has somehow been placed on many popular websites. Experts say the list of compromised sites involves banks, auction and price comparison firms and is growing fast.
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p>Sounds pretty nasty to me.
iTunes: “Voices” by Bedrock from the album Essential Chillout (2000, 9:09).
[See also: iTunes cover art in iChat user icon? | Proof! | Any true Scot would cringe | Jay and Silent Bob want you to vote | Network Outage ]
8 Responses to “Websurfers urged to avoid using IE”
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Bryan
Michael Hanscom
Prairie
Ryan Waddell
June 25th, 2004 at 11:50 am
Microsoft vulnerability may allow theft of financial data
A new virus is being spread by hundreds (thousands?) of infected web sites are possibly stealing credit card and other financial data from unsuspecting users. This latest attack is taking advantage of three distinct flaws in Microsuck Microsoft product…
June 25th, 2004 at 12:06 pm
Forgive me if you’ve already cited these, but there are two other recent comments on IE:
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/249 Time to Dump Internet Explorer It’s time to tell our users, our clients, our associates, our families, and our friends to abandon Internet Explorer. By Scott Granneman Jun 17 2004 07:54AM PT
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/250 When Spyware Crosses the Line “Spyware” isn’t harmless software when it starts hijacking your browser, downloading updates, and displaying adult porn images to small children. By Kelly Martin Jun 23 2004 03:33PM PT Excerpt: “Spyware is largely (though not exclusively) an Internet Explorer problem. And like it or not, Internet Explorer, the swiss-cheese of the Internet, commands about 80% of the world’s browsing. But individuals can freely switch to Firefox or Opera and effectively bypass the spyware problem, at least for now. Sure, security holes can, have and will be found in these browsers too but the difference in their security track records compared to Internet Explorer is absolutely night and day. Corporations and Enterprises can use desktop management software to centrally distribute these new browsers, and save money by not having to license anti-spyware applications to clean up the mess that’s been swept through IE.”
June 25th, 2004 at 1:43 pm
On the Spyware Front, see this story (http://john.hoke.org/archive/2004/06/_house_and_sena.php)
It looks like there may be some legislative movement against spyware, not that it will stop it ALL… but it may help stem the tide a bit…
-John
June 25th, 2004 at 2:06 pm
I’d hope that these days people don’t need another reason to use something other than IE.
June 25th, 2004 at 5:47 pm
I find it so silly that the Beeb stuck a random Russian landmark in there. Apparently terminals with glowing green monospaced type isn’t vague enough to represent malicious coders anymore.
June 25th, 2004 at 11:22 pm
Arcterex: I need a stonger reason. I mean, seriously, my entertainment depends on this computer causing itself to die. I have two options to this end: 1. Use IE without a firewall (and now that I glance at the taskbar, the antivirus has crashed as well) and let it be cheesed to death. Requires little effort. 2. Download and install Firefox, wait for computer to struggle to its knees under the load of another piece of software and hope it dies while I am doing normal browsing. Requires moderate effort. And I am lazy. So Option 1 it is!
This is my grandmother’s computer, by the way, a Waitway. If I let IE commit harikiri then it should, theoretically, take the rest of the computer with it. What with IE being mostly integrated into Windows and all. All I would need to do afterwards would be to help purchase most of a crappy computer and I can build a trebuchet and watch this infernal piece of crap create a very large splash as I launch it into Sinclair Inlet.
June 26th, 2004 at 2:53 am
I must say, that’s the best reason to use IE I’ve heard in a long time. (refering to Robert’s post)
June 26th, 2004 at 11:42 am
That’s hilarious, Robert.
And unfortunately, there is one situation where I can — very reluctantly, mind you — admit that there’s an excuse for running IE. If your employer doesn’t give you an option, you’re probably stuck with it. Like mine, for instance: all of our machines get a pre-set up software package that cannot be altered (we’re locked out of the ability to install or change anything), and on top of that, the latest ‘upgrade’ to the software package actually downgraded us from IE 6 to IE 5. Ugh. And there’s not a damn thing I can do about it (except grumble, which I do often and with great relish).