Microsoft releases Internet Explorer security patch, for Windows XP too

Microsoft has just released a security patch to fix the major security bug that was reported for Internet Explorer (IE) this previous weekend.  And they included Windows XP too, since the security flaw was found so close to its end of support date,  April 8th, according to Adrienne Hall, general manager with Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing section:

“Of course, we’re proud that so many people loved Windows XP, but the reality is that the threats we face today from a security standpoint have really outpaced the ability to protect those customers using an operating system that dates back over a decade,” she said.

“This is why we’ve been encouraging Windows XP customers to upgrade to a modern, more secure operating system like Windows 7 or Windows 8.1,” she said.
-via USA Today

If you have Windows automatic updates on, you will get the Internet Explorer update automatically.  To turn it on, you can click on the “Check for Updates” button on the Windows Update portion of the Control Panel.

You might be wondering though, is Internet Explorer safe, is it a good web browser to use?  IE does get a lot of bad pr from many users who opt for Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.  But as Gartner security analyst Lawrence Pingree says, “Some of the studies I’ve seen actually indicate that IE has some of the best security of all the browsers” (via Mashable).  Most notably perhaps, a recent study from NSS Labs ranked Internet Explorer on top for blocking “social engineering” attacks, where hackers try to trick inexperienced users into clicking on links and opening dangerous emails.  Internet Explorer reportedly blocked 99% of these attacks, while Google’s Chrome caught roughly 71%.  Firefox and Safari blocked under 5%.  But if you are using Windows XP, you should probably opt for another web browser such as Google Chrome, or follow Microsoft’s advice of upgrading.

Major Internet Browsers

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One Response to Microsoft releases Internet Explorer security patch, for Windows XP too

  1. Pingback: Internet Explorer bug, Use Google Chrome/Mozilla Firefox to avoid hacking | Ultimate Web Builder Blog

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