AfterDawn: News

German government warns about using Internet Explorer

The German government has warned Internet users about the security vulnerabilities of the Internet Explorer browser and recommended that everyone find an alternative, such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari and others.

The warning came from the German Federal Office for Information Security.



Microsoft has said that most exploits can be shut out by placing the security zone of the browser on "high" mode. By doing so however, many popular sites are blocked and functionality is limited. The German officials all agree that even "high" security mode does not make IE as safe as other browsers. The warning is aimed at IE 6,7, and 8 users.

"This is a vulnerability that was announced in the last couple of days. Microsoft have no patch yet and the implication is that this is the same one that exploited on the attacks on Google earlier this week," said an expert, via the BBC. "The way to exploit this flaw has now appeared on the internet , so it is quite possible that everyone is now going to have a go."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Jan 2010 17:21

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• 11 comments

• manrod

  People still use IE? Wow, guess they've never heard of FireFox.

  16.1.2010 17:41 #1

• ZippyDSM

  Everyone should get on chrome so its hacked the most :P

  16.1.2010 17:52 #2

• biglo30

  I think that Microsoft needs to hungry up with internet explorer 9.

  16.1.2010 19:17 #3

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by biglo30: I think that Microsoft needs to hungry up with internet explorer 9.wont help everyone useing IE6....

  16.1.2010 19:28 #4

• Run4two

  Awe, come on Zippy, be an optimist for once. Microsoft is bound to do something good soon, just so that they can continue in their rape and pillage

  16.1.2010 21:19 #5

• chris4160

  Originally posted by Run4two: Awe, come on Zippy, be an optimist for once. Microsoft is bound to do something good soon, just so that they can continue in their rape and pillageA broken clock is right twice a day :)

  17.1.2010 02:05 #6

• ZippyDSM

  Quote:Originally posted by Run4two: Awe, come on Zippy, be an optimist for once. Microsoft is bound to do something good soon, just so that they can continue in their rape and pillageA broken clock is right twice a day :)HEY!!!.....whos a clock!!!..... oh right :P

  17.1.2010 14:45 #7

• SomeBozo

  I'm curious when Microsoft is really going to take steps to secure their operating systems. Seems to me there is nothing new about these types of security wholes mainly from one or both of these.
  
  1.) Baking IE within windows, like why not remove it from the OS and make it completely seperate.
  
  2.) Get rid of ActiveX within IE, unless there is an option saying: "Yes please let any hacker on the web the permissions on my computer to inject crap on a web page to infect me".

  17.1.2010 15:37 #8

• Pop_Smith

  Originally posted by SomeBozo: I'm curious when Microsoft is really going to take steps to secure their operating systems. Seems to me there is nothing new about these types of security wholes mainly from one or both of these.
  
  1.) Baking IE within windows, like why not remove it from the OS and make it completely seperate.
  
  2.) Get rid of ActiveX within IE, unless there is an option saying: "Yes please let any hacker on the web the permissions on my computer to inject crap on a web page to infect me".Internet Exploder is no longer integrated with Windows 7 (and probably Vista). It comes pre-installed with the OS but it is removable inside the OS and doing so doesn't harm the OS.

  18.1.2010 00:10 #9

• SomeBozo

  Quote:Originally posted by SomeBozo: I'm curious when Microsoft is really going to take steps to secure their operating systems. Seems to me there is nothing new about these types of security wholes mainly from one or both of these.
  
  1.) Baking IE within windows, like why not remove it from the OS and make it completely seperate.
  
  2.) Get rid of ActiveX within IE, unless there is an option saying: "Yes please let any hacker on the web the permissions on my computer to inject crap on a web page to infect me".Internet Exploder is no longer integrated with Windows 7 (and probably Vista). It comes pre-installed with the OS but it is removable inside the OS and doing so doesn't harm the OS.
  Okay possibly you fixed issue #1 but not #2 which is still far worse. And the really bad point even if you run in "High" security or lock down, even Microsoft acknowledged you are still vulnerable, they only said most users are not susceptible to the attack as it was a directed attack for a given purpose against Google and others. Hmmm , if you're not Google, are we all in the "Other"? So Microsoft is trying to use double speak to say people are not at risk only because we are not in the scope these hackers targeted? I have never heard of all hackers only targeting one type of user, there scripts are automated and just run ip scans....
  
  Bottom line everyone is at risk from this, not just the few Microsoft would have you believe, or should i say deceive?

  18.1.2010 13:20 #10

• borhan9

  I left Internet Explorer along time ago
  soo i am not concerned about this.

  20.1.2010 04:47 #11