First of all, if you
think Internet Explorer and Firefox were your only options, you are
mistaken. This section reviews Internet Explorer and Firefox basics
and introduces other viable Web browser options.
Microsoft Internet
Explorer is a common target for browser hijacking. Internet Explorer
7.0 provided a significant upgrade to Microsoft browser security but,
still have flaws, like the one discovered for an Israeli
vulnerability researcher. Aviv Raff warned in a posting on his
blog
Wednesday that Attackers could exploit a new flaw in Internet
Explorer 7 (IE 7) to launch phishing expeditions. Raff said IE 7
running on Windows XP and Vista is susceptible to cross-site
scripting attacks.
Let's suppose you don't have options and you are using IE, or for some weird reason, you just like it. In this case, do you homework: keep your IE patched and well configured. IE has the ability to
provide a secure browsing, but it's the responsibility of the
organization or the user to configure it.
You can start reading this
How-to
articles from Microsoft.
They have great tips.
If you are tired of
patching your IE browsers every week (at least) may consider
migrating to Mozilla Firefox, a popular browser that is
generally thought to be more secure than IE. However, Firefox is not
immune to attacks, and as the browser increases in popularity, it's
likely to become a bigger target for attackers. In this link you can
find a list of
security
tips for Firefox users, but it's great reading for other
users as well.
Not satisfied with
Firefox or IE? Yes, there are other options, such as
Opera,
Safari,
Konqueror,
Lynx
(this one just for grown ones) and
others.
They all have theirs pros and cons, visit their webpages and and
learn what you should expect if you're not using IE or Firefox.
And remember: on
the second Tuesday of every month, Microsoft releases hot fixes for
its newest flaws which almost invariably include Internet Explorer
patches. Yes, at least twice a month you will have to patch your IE.
Others Web browser of
your choice will release their patches eventually.
