Federal Government warns about Internet Exploer bugs [Archive]

Bharat Nain

30-06-2004, 23:00

I've been using FireFox (http://www.mozilla.com/firefox) for quite some time. No pop-ups, no spyware/adware, and not nearly as many vulnerabilities as Internet Explorer. It also renders pages a bit faster than good ole' IE.

It's very painless to install, and can import all favorites from IE. I highly recommend it.
Ditto. Firefox rocks. I use IE only for certain websites and certain situations, but overall it has always sucked. I havent had IE as my main browser since about 2 years now. You will love the switch

-Bharat

MattK

30-06-2004, 23:02

I have been using Firefox for about a week and I love it! Its so much faster then IE.

only 1 problem-
When I click on a link in Outlook it launches both IE and Firefox. Anyone know how to fix this?

opnickc

30-06-2004, 23:03

I use mozilla, made by the same people as firefox. I never use IE unless a website requires it.

scuba_sm

30-06-2004, 23:14

I have been using Firefox for about a week and I love it! Its so much faster then IE.

only 1 problem-
When I click on a link in Outlook it launches both IE and Firefox. Anyone know how to fix this?

Did you set both as your default browser? If you did, it might launch both.

I've got to say, I switched to Firefox about 6 months ago, and I've only used IE to open IE web pages (which are getting rarer and rarer..... ) I love it, especially tabbed browsing. Not to sound like too much of an add, but I like the ability to change themes, and add extensions to it, to customize it.

ngreen

30-06-2004, 23:51

I have been using Firefox for about a week and I love it! Its so much faster then IE.

only 1 problem-
When I click on a link in Outlook it launches both IE and Firefox. Anyone know how to fix this?

Use Thunderbird (http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird) .

I've been using Firefox (http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox) for a over a month now. Whenever I here someone complain about pop-up ads I tell them about it. I put it on my brother's machine yesterday and showed him tabbed browsing and mouse gestures. All he had to say was "oooh".

Stefan

30-06-2004, 23:58

Yeh ive ben useing firebird since it was phenoix and that was a while ago. Firebird is ownage and is the only browser accessable via shortcuts on any comp on my network. However i hope when it hits 1.0 they make a new red book of mozilla entry it will be only fitting anyways.

and as for extensions anyone who does any thing with websites should look into the web developer extension its the best thing in the world.

Clark Gilbert

01-07-2004, 00:12

I've also been using it since the days of Pheonix and I just love FireFox. I'm also big into using Thunderbird as I've picked it up and enjoyed it for the last month or so. I'm pretty much 100% free of Outlook, IE, and Trillian now. My new best friends are Thunderbird, FireFox, and GAIM. Gotta love the free stuff :)

rowe

01-07-2004, 00:31

we should submit this thread to mozilla, i bet theyd b happy. :D. oh and ditto on everything said about firefox, i love it.

MattK

01-07-2004, 00:43

Just started Using Thunderbird- works well. I like it.

Billfred

01-07-2004, 00:44

I'll jump onto the bandwagon...I've been with Firefox since it was 433--erm, Firebird.

Hasn't let me down yet.

JAH

01-07-2004, 00:53

MattK

01-07-2004, 00:55

I haven't tried Firefox or Mozilla but I've been using Opera. I love it, tabbed windows, a stylish look, and it only opens requested pop-up windows. I highly reccomend it. You can get it off download.com.

I used that awhile back... they claimed it was the "fastest browser on earth" or something. I never really took to it.

Firefox on the other hand I am getting to love more and more.

The nice part is- its not that un-like IE (GUI wise) and it just works better.

Katie Reynolds

01-07-2004, 01:23

IE had been giving me problems for the last few months, with loading graphics and such. So Brandon introduced me to Firefox, and got me hooked. I"ll never use IE again! :yikes:

miketwalker

01-07-2004, 01:31

SuperDave

01-07-2004, 01:55

evulish

01-07-2004, 02:53

hah all you windows people, its all about Apple Safari for mac OS X. i switched from a pc to my mac 6 months ago, i'll never go back. no popups for me, and everysingle web page i go to loads up better than IE for mac. plus safari has some great features that IE doesnt have.

Aww yeah! Safari rocks!

And whenever I do use Windows.. I use IE. Am I the only person that doesn't actually have any problems with it? Jeez :P

Cory

01-07-2004, 03:35

Elyse Holguin

01-07-2004, 03:52

i was turned to firefox right after midwest regional when i was having problems with ie. amazingly enough, a close friend outside of the FIRST/CD community turned me on to it. and in response to kyle's gaim comment, i agree that it does rock. however, i dislike not being able to direct connect with it, so still use aim as well.

Ryan M.

01-07-2004, 06:53

I'll jump onto the bandwagon...I've been with Firefox since it was 433--erm, Firebird.

Hasn't let me down yet.Same here. :D

Thunderbird is great. For you Outlook Express types out there, you won't have any trouble using Thunderbird.

And, thanks for the GAIM link. I just might use that... :cool:

Venkatesh

01-07-2004, 07:13

I've been using Firefox for quite some time as well (all the way back to the name Phoenix). I have just recently started using Thunderbird, and it is wonderful.

Btw, at all of the federal agencies I have seen, Netscape is the most common browser. At a Veteran's hospital I volunteered at, everybody is still running Netscape 3.0. And some even use Netscape Composer to write documents.

Ryan M.

01-07-2004, 07:47

I've been using Firefox and Thunderbird for about a month or 2 (also because Brandon introduced me)... and I absolutely love it! Only thing I wish they would add would be an ftp setup like IE has, I still have to have IE installed when doing stuff in FTP.What FTP features does IE have that Firefox doesn't? :confused:

Besides, you could always get a dedicated FTP client, such as FileZilla (the client, not the server. :D)

Stefan

01-07-2004, 08:09

or you could you smartFTP seeing how its ultra pwnage as well. also note IE is the worst thing to use as an ftp client too slow and time consumeing for me.

MrToast

01-07-2004, 08:34

Safari! (http://www.apple.com/safari)

In fact, Apple just announced on Monday Safari RSS, which will have a built in RSS engine, so you don't need a second app to get all of your news fast. Woooord.....

Paraphrase the government:
Peecees suck. Get a Mac.

Sounds good to me.

:D

MrToast

Andy Baker

01-07-2004, 08:48

Geeez... now you guys tell me. I'll switch from IE tonight. :)

Andy B.

Rob Colatutto

01-07-2004, 09:55

I had Pheonix as well, what a great browser that was just a few too many bugs. I use Firebird still since its really never given me any problems. But yes, a Mozilla web browsing product is deffinately the way to go.

Raven_Writer

01-07-2004, 09:56

I've been using Phoenix/Firebird off-and-on. I do like IE a little bit.

Thunderbird is a decent e-mail client, but to me it's the same as the new Outlook.

I honestly prefer AwesomeBrowser (I believe it's called). It's a pretty good browser.

Joe Ross

01-07-2004, 10:25

I use MyIE2. Visually it is almost identical, but it tabs windows, blocks popups, etc. I love the tabbed windows, and I have literally *never* gotten a popup. Even with the Google toolbar, I would still get popups, so I'm happy :)

The problem with MyIE2, CrazyBrowser, Avant, and others is that they embed the IE engine in a different frame. Thus, you get many of the features of Mozilla, Firefox, Opera, or Netscape, but you also get all the security holes that come along with IE. Thus when the Federal Goverment warns to move away from IE, they mean all browsers that embed IE.

Outlook and Outlook Express also embed IE, so you should also move to an alternate e-mail program. Thunderbird has already been mentioned. Eudora is another standalone e-mail program. Mozilla, Netscape, and Opera all have their own built in mail programs also.

Ryan F.

01-07-2004, 16:05

I like Mozilla Firefox, which I've been using for about half a year now. It's like internet explorer without all the annoying parts. I like the tabs, compact browser...etc.

Mike AA

02-07-2004, 01:25

Ryan M.

02-07-2004, 06:34

I downloaded Firefox lastnight, installed it within a few seconds and I like it better already. BLocking popups. Only thing I have against it is that I cant use my touchpad on my laptop on the sides to scroll the screen. Anything I'm missing as to how to make it work that way?It should work. That's a function of Windows itself, not so much the program. Maybe it wasn't focused on are?

Lisa Perez

02-07-2004, 08:46

I downloaded Firefox lastnight, installed it within a few seconds and I like it better already. BLocking popups. Only thing I have against it is that I cant use my touchpad on my laptop on the sides to scroll the screen. Anything I'm missing as to how to make it work that way?

I did that too, except I didn't have any problems with scrolling.. It works if you press both of the buttons by the touchpad, and then drag your finger on the touchpad. But I don't know if that helps or not :o

trev2023

02-07-2004, 08:54

I use SlimBrowser, and it's worked great for me. It has the tabbed windows, no popups, etc. I've never had a problem with it. I *think* it embeds IE, but I'm not sure.

Denman

02-07-2004, 09:03

ngreen

02-07-2004, 09:18

what is sooo wrong with the humble ie?
everyone hates it because it is a microsoft product, yet without microsoft where woudl we be in computing? no games?! no decent os ! etc etc
(note that microsoft sponsoring us has no effect on my opinion)

I think security is my biggest concern. Whenever I use IE at least 2 pop-up ads show up immediately. I've had multiple viruses using IE but haven't had any with firefox. And it works better. Is more customizable and has some cool features. I don't have a lot of issues with microsoft like some people. I just use what I think works best and I like the most. And in this case IE doesn't win.

Joe Ross

02-07-2004, 10:21

what is sooo wrong with the humble ie?

Did you read the article?

Joe Matt

02-07-2004, 10:34

what is sooo wrong with the humble ie?
everyone hates it because it is a microsoft product, yet without microsoft where woudl we be in computing? no games?! no decent os ! etc etc
(note that microsoft sponsoring us has no effect on my opinion)
Decent OS!?!?! Yes, we would have games, look beyond the front of your nose. Games were out for Mac (and even many Microsoft applicatons) before Windows 3.1. I know the university I'm working in now has dumped IE, and I've converted my whole family to firefox.

Kyle Fenton

02-07-2004, 11:23

Decent OS!?!?! Yes, we would have games, look beyond the front of your nose. Games were out for Mac (and even many Microsoft applicatons) before Windows 3.1. I know the university I'm working in now has dumped IE, and I've converted my whole family to firefox.

Yes I totally agree with you JosephM. The reason why there are a paltry number of games for the mac and linux is because Microsoft bribes game developers to use Direct X instead of Open GL. Even the games that are on the mac are not as good as they can be. Companies like Aspyr and Macsoft use Direct X converters to transform PC games to the mac. However these converters don’t have any optimization, which makes the game on mac worse than on a Wintel machine with the same specs.

Anyways

IE 6 for Wintel has 90% of the market share browser, so hackers definitely will find all of its weaknesses.
If some people change browsers it would defuse the amount of people using one browser, and decreasing the risk of security violations.
Also it would be a plus for the open source community which has trying to get developers not to code just for IE.

jrgrim12

02-07-2004, 14:25

I have been using Firefox for some time now and love it. It has so many more features that IE doesn't have. If you look under the tips and trick section of www.mozilla.org (http://texturizer.net/firefox/tips.html) (look for: Speed up page rendering, enable pipelining, and ad blocking) you can find ways to make your web pages load fasters as well as ways to block other things that you may not want to see :) My webpages are very clean looking now :)

Extension I would suggest having:

Allow Right Click> It will allow you to right click on pages that won't let you

Bugmenot> www.bugmenot.com a network of usernames and passwords for logins

SpoofStick> www.corestreet.com/spoofstick/ Let's you know the website's true URL to avoid being scammed

IE View> Will open the current page in IE (If you dare)

I can't believe Andy Baker doesn't use FireFox :ahh:

codeoftherobot

04-07-2004, 03:45

Let's see I've been using Netscape for, ooo how long, since the company started. I've progressed through many versions of Netscape, from the 2.0's to the 7.1's. Then after 7.1, I decided to switch to Mozilla after I heard the rumor that Netscape might not continue. Mozilla had all the same features as Netscape (without the AOL add-on stuff) and was even better as it could be easily customized and had many cool themes (currently using Mozilla 1.7 with Venerable Modern). Plus when I migrated over to Linux, Mozilla was already the default browser on my Red Hat stuff so there was no difficulty in trasitioning. Never been an IE person though I have had to use it on occassion for certain websites.

D.J. Fluck

04-07-2004, 04:40

I can't believe Andy Baker doesn't use FireFox :ahh:

No, he uses AOL...ahhhhh :p

JohnBoucher

04-07-2004, 10:10

I have been using Opera as my main browser for a while now and really liked it. Jess came home and beat me up because I wasn't using Firefox, So it's up and I like it.
But I'm not seeing any alt tags on images. Is that a setting that is not turned on during setup or does it not render alt tags?

mtrawls

04-07-2004, 10:58

Did you read the article?

Psht! you must be new here.

(Sorry, wrong site ... oh, IE no good at chiefdelphi? sooo confusing.)

Andy Baker

04-07-2004, 11:04

No, he uses AOL...ahhhhh :p

I am now a happy user of Firefox. Because of this thread, I am happy to say.

However, my ISP is AOL. It is still hard to beat the sweet deal that Delphi got with AOL for its employee's personal use. I pay $3 a month. That is it. I can save my other money to put shoes on my kids feet and put food in their mouths. I complain about being on dial-up... but for $3, I don't mind.

I just gotta remember to pull the twine tight when I am downloading a file.

Andy B.

Astronouth7303

04-07-2004, 14:47

I just read today that the Federal Government says that most people should switch over to another browser. They say that Internet Explorer has too many bugs that makes it easy to steal information. I thought I would post this since I have never heard of this happening before.An article (http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-biz-ie0629,0,1964632.story)
BS. Yes, IE can be improved, but part of it is ignorance of users and the wide-spread use of IE.

IE is also used in a variaty of Win apps. MS provides a control to developers that is basically IE.

Joe Matt

04-07-2004, 21:32

BS. Yes, IE can be improved, but part of it is ignorance of users and the wide-spread use of IE.

IE is also used in a variaty of Win apps. MS provides a control to developers that is basically IE.
Says who? Microsoft? It's wide know to have TONS of flaws and holes that other browsers don't have. Just because a browser/OS isn't as popular or wide spread as IE or Windows dosn't mean that Windows has the same number, or less, flaws than the rarer OS or browser. It's vodoo programing, the idea that wide spread use=flaws. It's false, plain and simple. Also, Apple also provides SDKs to their products and their browsers, but very few are found to have problems (trust me, loads of people are looking for problems in Apple software). Plus, that's just an example, it applies to all other programs.

Yan Wang

04-07-2004, 23:06

Mike Ciance

04-07-2004, 23:45

sure am glad i use Mozilla :D

Marc P.

04-07-2004, 23:46

The people who get this stuff seem to be, in general, the most ignorant or careless computer users.

That's not really a fair judgement to make. Yes, the people with the most junk are often the most ignorant, but there are plenty of cases where very informed and cautious people are infected by various trojans and spyware. I work in a computer shop where 80% of the problems I see are directly related to viruses and spyware. While it's true the bulk of the problems are had by people who don't know otherwise, I do also see a surprisingly large number of infections on well educated and very net-savvy users machines. I've seen a few things try to attack my own system here in one of the few times I fired up IE to check something. It was a pop-up for an X10 camera or something, but my AVG virus scanner immediately identified the code in the pop-up as a downloader trojan (which would have opened the door for any number of crapware programs to install themselves). There are many, many vulnerabilities in IE that can allow arbitrary malicious code to be run on a target machine, and while Microsoft has been halfway-decent about patching them, I find the number of current exploits, nevermind as of yet undiscovered exploits, somewhat unsettling.

ebmonon36

04-07-2004, 23:58

I've been using IE and havn't had any problems I couldn't fix. McAffe catches all the trojans and AdAware gets rid of all the hijackers and such. I don't download things I didn't ask for and I keep my security settings fairly high.
Eric

Ryan M.

05-07-2004, 06:10

I use Firefox and IE interchangeably. I have NEVER had a problem with IE. In fact, I have never had a problem with any of those worms or trojan viruses which seem to get so out of control. Astronouth is right in saying that if you know how to protect your pc, etc. you should be fine. The people who get this stuff seem to be, in general, the most ignorant or careless computer users.I agree with you here. Although MSIE might have a ton of flaws which allow stuff to get in that you'd just rather not, there is almost never a situation where a utility program can't remove it.

Some of the things I use on my computer: (all free!)

Spyware Blaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html) - Don't let a lot of the spyware out there get in the first place.
Spybot Search and Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/) - Allow you to scan for spyware already on you computer. This includes stuff that got in through IE and stuff installed by a program you downloaded (which can happen no matter what browser you use)
Anti-virus software - Avast! Home edition (http://www.avast.com/) - The home edition can be used for free with only a registration. I've used this for 6 months now and never had a problem. It is frequently updated and the program itself is still under active development, unlike (at least, so I hear) AVG. A 60 trial is available.

evulish

05-07-2004, 16:45

Ryan M.

05-07-2004, 17:20

If you know what you're doing and know that IE has something installed with it, Hijack This! http://tomcoyote.com/hjt/ has been one of my all-time favorite debugging tools. If you see something in there you can't recognize, google for it.. and you'll generally find a forum with other HJT results and someone will generally identify it.I've heard this can be very helpful tool.

However, a warning to anyone who isn't "computer literate/really good with computers :D:" EVERYTHING HIJACK THIS FINDS DOESN'T NEED TO BE REMOVED!! When in doubt, don't delete. If you accidentally removed something important to a legit program, you can have difficulties.

Before using it, be sure to make a backup of the registry. Do this by opening a "run" box and typing in "regedit". Under the File menu, choose "Export." Choose a location to save the backup to and rememer where it is. To restore the registry back the way it was, do the same thing, only choose "Import" from the File menu. Select the backup you created earlier. You may have to restart after the restore.

Astronouth7303

05-07-2004, 18:15

Before using it, be sure to make a backup of the registry. Do this by opening a "run" box and typing in "regedit". Under the File menu, choose "Export." Choose a location to save the backup to and rememer where it is. To restore the registry back the way it was, do the same thing, only choose "Import" from the File menu. Select the backup you created earlier. You may have to restart after the restore.

A back up can be quite large. I believe the registry is stored in SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT; If you copy those, you would essentially be backing it up. The export method is preferred, though.

Yan Wang

05-07-2004, 22:14

While it's true the bulk of the problems are had by people who don't know otherwise, I do also see a surprisingly large number of infections on well educated and very net-savvy users machines.

My grandmother is net-savvy. That doesn't mean she knows how to protect against viruses and other unwanted products of the Internet or how to use and fix her computer software and hardware. If the person really does know what he's doing, you won't see them at a shop asking for help. That's my opinion and general rule of thumb. I have lots of friends who are very good programmers and love to use the internet but don't know a thing about computer maintenance. Then one of them complains to me that he has an unaccounted 12gb of their 40gb hdd to look for... :)

Aignam

06-07-2004, 09:29

I use IE and Opera, when I feel like it. I've never had a problem with viruses or worms or trojan horses through my web browser---sure I've downloaded corrupt files and Norton thankfully quarantined and deleted the file, but that has nothing to do with my web browser. If you have a good virus scan program, a firewall (either hardware or software, which will prevent Trojan horses from spreading or sending information), and simple programs to stop the adware (Ad-aware and Spybot), and an advanced registry edit program (HijackThis---be careful with it), then you should be more than fine in terms of being in control of your own, secure computer. And yes, that was a long sentence.

Marc P.

06-07-2004, 12:31

My grandmother is net-savvy. That doesn't mean she knows how to protect against viruses and other unwanted products of the Internet or how to use and fix her computer software and hardware. If the person really does know what he's doing, you won't see them at a shop asking for help. That's my opinion and general rule of thumb. I have lots of friends who are very good programmers and love to use the internet but don't know a thing about computer maintenance. Then one of them complains to me that he has an unaccounted 12gb of their 40gb hdd to look for... :)

In many of the cases I get at work, it's not the fault of the owner. It's their kids, or a friend, or a relative who is over using their computer, visiting less than savory sites, playing with kazaa, etc. Next thing they know, Norton AV's autoprotect is disabled, Ad-Aware picks up 700 things, and no matter what they clean it with everything always comes back on next reboot.

My point is that you shouldn't need four different 3rd party applications to keep your system safe and clean, no matter who uses it. I'll also say since I started recommending FireFox to people, I've seen a dramatic decline in repeat visitations from people who get re-infected within a few weeks, despite an updated virus scanner, firewall, and spyware protection.

Denman

07-07-2004, 06:03

evidently i am in the minority here about IE........
everyone goes on and on about how bill gates is too rich ETC...
IE is perfectly good,,,, and i wouldn't use something else ever. Some things just dont work with others, and i once tried opera and couldn't use it for the life of me!
And they constantly update security in ie.
and if you have something else , such as norton internet security, you will be fine .... i only occasionally get attacks, usually from places in the middle east!

Hmm, i just found that i have recieved bad reputation for liking microsoft products, i think thats a bit unfair!

Adam Y.

07-07-2004, 11:15

evidently i am in the minority here about IE........
I honestly don't think Microsoft ever intends to release buggy software. I read an article about how Microsoft checks for errors in it's software. I started using Mozilla because my version of IE seems to be corrupted. Style sheets that used to be displayed correctly doesn't anymore. It's really annoying actually cause I know something happened that caused it to act buggy. I put a border on some links and the top border doesn't display.

MrToast

07-07-2004, 11:58

And they constantly update security in ie.

Doesn't the fact that it NEEDS all those security updates bother you? To me, that's proof that it is inherently flawed to require so many updates. I use Safari, and the only updates it's needed are the ones that come with upgrading to a newer operating system!

Well, it's your credit card information... ;)

MrToast

jonathan lall

07-07-2004, 13:23

With all the anti-IE rhetoric going on, I'd like to offer some damage control (http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/2004/06/16.html#a7779) from the IE side. They are listening and working hard enough that I'm confident the next major version of IE (albeit a long wait) will be extremely good. This is coming from someone who has contributed to the Mozilla code, squashed Mozilla bugs, and advocated the technologies of Mozilla since before the Application Suite even had a version number. I am now looking at this browser issue from a webdesigner's perspective and find it absolutely necessary to improve IE rather than just forget about it, as well over 90% of us still use it. Firefox is better, there is no doubt. But that doesn't mean everybody should use it, and it doesn't mean webdesigners can drop IE like it's hot.

Astronouth7303

07-07-2004, 13:24

Doesn't the fact that it NEEDS all those security updates bother you? To me, that's proof that it is inherently flawed to require so many updates. I use Safari, and the only updates it's needed are the ones that come with upgrading to a newer operating system!
Not necessarily.
You're confusing 'frequency of updates' with the 'amount updated'.
MS may just release hundreds of 'micro-patches', while safari may only update when there is a big patch ready.
It is also impossible to test a program on the thousands of configs that exist. As people report bugs, MS investigates what caused it, how serious it is, and how to fix it.
I am happy with IE. There have been very few unwanted guests on this system.

Stop dising MS because it's an easy target.

MrToast

07-07-2004, 14:16

Stop dising MS because it's an easy target.

right.....

I wasn't dissing Microsoft. I was questioning the usability of their software. If you'd like me to diss that thieving, bullying, and megalomaniacal company, just let me know and I'll be more than happy to.

Cheers,

MrToast

Denman

07-07-2004, 14:18

Marc P.

07-07-2004, 15:33

To all the people saying there is nothing wrong with IE- I ask why this thread exists. The original article this thread is based around says the federal government is warning people about the inherent flaws of IE, and are recommending other browsers. If there were no problem, why would the government say such a thing? If it hasn't been posted here yet, MSN's own Slate (http://slate.msn.com/id/2103152/) recommends Firefox over IE for the same issues. Just because you haven't been affected by certain issues does not mean there's no problem. Yes, tight security practices can prevent 99% of problems, but again I ask, why do you need a plethora of third party programs and a bunch of patches to keep your system secure? Could it be because of underlying vulnerabilities in the built in software?

The other problem is the amount of users who simply don't know better. Combine the uninformed masses with inherently insecure software, and you've got a hell of a problem on your hands. The way I see it there are two solutions- educate the masses, or produce better software. Considering the number of security bulletins and news articles on virii and spyware, and the continued lack of firewalled/updated/protected systems, I doubt the public at large will hear the message. The only other solution is to produce better software. Mozilla/Firefox is a step in the right direction. Microsoft is starting to look in the right direction with service pack 2. But at this point in time there are confirmed problems with IE that don't affect other browsers.

Astronouth7303

07-07-2004, 15:51

You know, I have not heard what specifically are the inherent flaws. If they have already been posted, please tell me.

Adam Y.

07-07-2004, 17:16

You know, I have not heard what specifically are the inherent flaws. If they have already been posted, please tell me.
The article actually mentions viruses that uploaded themselves onto servers using Microsoft. Thus a visitor to that website will have viruses downloaded onto their computer that are really bad. I knew this was going to invoke a large response. Just not this large. :rolleyes:

Astronouth7303

07-07-2004, 17:29

The article actually mentions viruses that uploaded themselves onto servers using Microsoft. Thus a visitor to that website will have viruses downloaded onto their computer that are really bad. I knew this was going to invoke a large response. Just not this large. :rolleyes:
And how is that an inherrent bug, instead of a regular one?

Joe Matt

07-07-2004, 18:07

And how is that an inherrent bug, instead of a regular one?
Well, lets see... no other browser has this 'function', so I guess it's an inherrent bug in IE, not something that ALL browsers have problems with. I respect your opinion that IE is a better browser, but you're loosing by trying to spin your way out of trouble.

Astronouth7303

07-07-2004, 18:30

care to enlighten me what this 'function' actually does? is it an auto-update? self-install? a hoax to get people talkin?

Joe Matt

07-07-2004, 18:45

care to enlighten me what this 'function' actually does? is it an auto-update? self-install? a hoax to get people talkin?
Function- as sarcastical remark where the IE software can be hijacked by webpages, for example, and other flaws that other browsers don't have.

jonathan lall

07-07-2004, 20:07

care to enlighten me what this 'function' actually does? is it an auto-update? self-install? a hoax to get people talkin?
I think you've made your point that you want to stick with IE. Nothing wrong with that, but you're basing your decision on denial of - and I don't use this term lightly - common knowledge.

If you kept track of this sort of thing, you would know that reports of new IE exploits appear quite literally weekly (although admitedly they are slowing down in frequency). Major holes are much more rare, and arise every couple of months; Microsoft patches these through WindowsUpdate every time you upgrade IE, so there is little concern in that department if you're careful. Trojans, such as Bobax, a commercially-created worm for spamming, Delude.B, a sort of reverse-DoS attack worm that infiltrates IE, and most recently, Kibuv, which attacks no less than seven Windows networking vulnerabilities, all prey on IE's market saturation (perhaps Mozilla and Opera have a killer or two, but hackers don't care because nobody uses them). In March, a rather clever ploy with an IE security vulnerability supposedly stole money from a number of people trying to bank online. This, in part due to IE's popularity is not a concern with any other modern browser.

PivX (http://pivx.com/larholm/unpatched/), an independant firm that shows the unpatched security holes of major browsers and offers its own fixes to some, used to have a counter on its website for unpatched security holes, and IE was always around 20 while the others were always below 3. So there's some quantitative proof. Unfortunately, that page has disappeared... around the same time Microsoft started giving them money. I'm not one for Microsoft conspiracies (http://www.opensource.org/halloween/), but that's pretty interesting.

The point is, IE has had a terrible reputation for security holes since the 5.x series and its phasing in of ActiveX (http://news.com.com/2100-1040-230788.html?legacy=cnet) controls. Whether you care or not is a different thing; I only do to a certain point. Here's some Firebird (http://www.xulplanet.com/ndeakin/arts/reasons.html) rhetoric (http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/why/), though; these are the reasons I go for it, not because of security holes. It's just a better browser.

Denman

03-09-2004, 05:35

the reasons the reports appear is because being the most widely used browser in the world, there are so many people to target, so there are much more people looking for flaws to exploit. If any other browser was most widely used, i aam sure that would be the case for that . As there are the most potential targets, and the people at home who dont know much about computers etc are using it for simplicity, its much easier to find targets to attack with IE over any other Browser. I would rather have many small updates than the occasional big one. If i knew someone had a bug into my pc, then i would want the fix asap as opposed to in a month or so when the next big patch comes out.

Bcahn836

03-09-2004, 06:35

I love firefox, see my avatar. It has alot of useful extentions and several different themes to use to. You can even make it look like IE, firefox is a great program and the best part is its FREE...

Dorienne

03-09-2004, 15:05

thank God for Firefox...
Hehe i love it! it's awesome...
www.mozilla.org
--Dori

suneel112

03-09-2004, 15:12

I'm thinking of using firefox, but I am currently OK

I've used Netscape for about 3 years now, ever since IE started screwing up my cable internet. I am posting from Purdue University right now (Stewart Center computer lab) and I am using Safari on a Mac. I LOVE Macs. They look so sleek, and have exceptional performance and apps (such as sherlock and safari).

I think Microsoft deserves every bit of the blame. It is a third-rate browser which slows everything down, freezes the computer on a regular basis, and pops up unwanted ads.

Max Lobovsky

03-09-2004, 16:50

I think Microsoft deserves every bit of the blame. It is a third-rate browser which slows everything down, freezes the computer on a regular basis, and pops up unwanted ads.
I'd be willing to bet a lot of the probelms you are complaining about are due to various pieces of malware (spyware, trojans, viruses, etc) on your computer. A clean, updated install of windows 2000/xp is really pretty stable, including internet explorer. I suggest you download Spybot (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html) and run it regularly (you can set it to run periodically).

It's arguable that it's Microsoft's fault that it's so easy to pollute IE/windows with this junk, but I suspect if Firefox/Netscape (they run mostly the same software) become more popular, you will see a lot more malware targeting them.

Joe Ross

03-09-2004, 17:56

the reasons the reports appear is because being the most widely used browser in the world, there are so many people to target, so there are much more people looking for flaws to exploit. If any other browser was most widely used, i aam sure that would be the case for that . As there are the most potential targets, and the people at home who dont know much about computers etc are using it for simplicity, its much easier to find targets to attack with IE over any other Browser.

That's a genuine argument, but not necessarily the case. The Apache web server hosts 60-70% of websites versus about 25% for Microsoft IIS. However, IIS is still hacked more then Apache. Better software is doesn't depend on small numbers to be secure.