Browser Security News

The success of the open-source Firefox browser, which first appeared in 2002 under the guise of Phoenix, is something of an Internet phenomenon. We’re very fond of it in the TR offices; so fond in fact that Internet Explorer is relegated to the not so taxing task of downloading Firefox and thereafter is ignored. And […]

This is because Application Compatibility Logging is not enabled on your machine. This is completely normal because, by default, IE7 does not enable Application Compatibility Logging. When I enabled Application Compatibility Logging the Internet Explorer folder in Event Viewer immediately started filling with data - please do not try to repair IE7 because of […]

Entrust, a provider of secure sockets layer certificates, is offering extended validation SSL certificates that are detectable by Windows XP to help Internet users battle phishing attacks. When consumers use an EV SSL-aware browser, valid sites will feature a green address bar, and information about the company operating the site and the certification authority that […]

Unsuspecting users who happen to launch the executable attachment carried by the Storm Worm can inadvertantly open a Pandora’s Box of problems. The Storm Worm can completely take over a PC, allowing the worm writers to control the compromised machine remotely for the purpose of sending out spam, stealing data, or blasting out denial-of-service attacks. […]

A store owner in a bad neighborhood must balance safety against commerce. Too many locks and bars will keep away customers with the crooks. Based on Microsoft Watch reader feedback, Internet Explorer 7 sacrifices too much usability in the interest of safety. I asked for reader response on Tuesday after observing an anomaly among Microsoft […]

Below are the answers to the questions some of you submitted a little while ago for Blake Ross, the founder and creator of Mozilla Firefox. As Opera users we owe a lot of credit to Firefox for successfully bringing more awareness to alternative browsers. We benefited a great deal from iby having less compatibility issues […]

What does Microsoft know that we simple users of Internet Explorer don’t? With Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft made some hefty changes to ActiveX controls, turning off a bunch by default and flipping on the security warning switch for many others. If timing means anything, the ActiveX changes are possibly quite important. Today, over at Symantec’s […]

Last Friday, over at the IE Weblog, Tony Chor rightly boasted about 100 million Internet Explorer 7 downloads. How many of those downloaders are dissatisfied, though? Judging from the e-mail coming into the Microsoft Watch Tips in-box or comments to IE 7 posts, there are many upgraders looking to turn back to Internet Explorer 6. […]

When I mentioned in a post yesterday that I had heard there was an alpha build of Internet Explorer (IE) 8.0 circulating inside Microsoft, some were skeptical. But over on Microsoft’s Channel 9 site, Bruce Morgan, a software development manager on the IE team, who describes his job as "lead(ing) the Vista RSS platform, IE […]

I’m pleased to report that on January 8th, we had the 100 millionth IE7 installation. However, even more important than installations is usage. According to WebSideStory (the company we use to measure browser usage), as of this week, over 25% of all visitors to websites in the US were using IE7, making IE7 the second […]