Homeland Security: Don't use IE due to bug

Most of us are getting rid of XP anyway. Everyone I know of all say they use Firefox, or Chrome.

Stop using IE altogether... Chrome, Firefox and Opera are much better browsers.

Larry

A recommendation I've been making for years -- don't use IE unless you absolutely have to!

Unfortunately, some Cisco gear insists on using IE (because of the activeX controls required).

Firefox and Chrome work very nicely.

I've got a copy of Win 7 to update my remaining XP box, and may even do it one of these weeks (expecting it to take more than a day -- I'm an optimist)...

Don't know which is more amusing: the revelation itself, or that the alert is being issued by the Department of "Homeland Security."

I wonder now which browser was being used to sign up all those 8 million new YouKnowWhatCare enrollees?

Thanks for the alert but I haven't used Internet Explorer in years, not since Firefox came out. I've never disabled IE by un-checking it to turn off this program in the Control Panel, I just never open it.

Agreed. My personal practice has been to keep a copy around, and use it only for those (very few) web sites that work on it and not on my copies of Firefox or Chrome. The list of such sites for me has varied between zero and three entries, with the current value being zero.

The other (related) thing I do with IE is to try it as a third resort when a site appears to malfunction with the preferred two. Some years ago I think web site developers were likely to test first and more thoroughly on IE, so this helped sometimes, but it has been a while since I had a success this way.

Friends advise friends to avoid IE.

Your connection to the internet is provided by your internet service provider (ISP). You yourself have a default way to access the internet using that connection and that software is generally called a "browser". It may be IE, Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Safari or others.

I haven't used IE since Mosaic Netscape 0.9 came out.

IE is my preferred browser, but now because of the security warning, I have put on Google Chrome until Microsoft gets IE fixed. Getting by with Chrome, but I hate it, and don't trust Google either.

With IEtabs plugin loaded. I've even done a couple of Windows Updates in FF with that plugin. Pretty neat. Not sure though if it's susceptible to the same flaws the full out browser is...

From the article in post #1:

Because the hack uses a corrupted Adobe Flash file to attack the victim's computer, users can avoid it by turning off Adobe Flash.

"The attack will not work without Adobe Flash," FireEye said. "Disabling the Flash plugin within IE will prevent the exploit from functioning."

I disabled Adobe Flash a couple days ago, but read some conflicting reports on whether that is a sufficient "cure" for the vulnerability. So I decided to take the safe route and use Chrome until Microsoft issues an official statement that IE is fixed. I only had one site that used Flash (a weather link).

SiriusXM Internet player uses Adobe Flash.

... particularly when they start to encroach on our own personal & family lives.

When do things start turning around & become self correcting? When the consequences of such becomes bad for business. More specifically, when the economics of such becomes reflected in such concrete $$$ indicators as the DJIA. In political & economic times as we are in now, that is the only daily poll that matters to the power elite, regardless of party. Everything else in the media is pretense & diversion.

The point is not to make anyone feel depressed or promote helplessness, but to support personal defensive measures cognitively, socially, politically & economically. When things finally do turn around, as they surely will, those who succeed now will be in that much stronger position to emerge on the profitable side later.

As always: only the best & constructive of wishes.

Switched over to Chrome and Firefox long ago...

Enable protected mode in IE by going to tools>internet options>security and checking the enable protected mode box and then close and restart IE.

Internet options - ADVANCED tab. Scroll down to Security (padlock icon) group. IE10 and IE11: Enable enhanced protected mode.

Bad guys are only targeting IE9 through IE11 at this time. IE8 (the latest IE version on WinXP) is not targeted at the moment. That doesn't mean it won't change. IE8 may become a target at any time.

Although WinXP is out of support, users may still be able to manually apply IE8 patch (for Vista, 7, 8) when it's available unless Microsoft adds OS verification in the patch.

Adobe flash is always a memory hog and disabled in my browser...

And you don't need to make comments about updating. I tried and something in the computer won't let me. I don't care because I don't use IE unless I have to. And I am searching for deals to build a new computer with win 7 so that will take care of the XP I still have.
Just have not had the time.

Why using IE6 is a good thing? The security hole exists in all versions of IE. And, the thing is, when Microsoft release a fix, IE6 will not be included.

Thanks to Microsoft for releasing update for Windows XP.

We have made the decision to issue a security update for Windows XP users.

article:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/msrc/archive/2014/05/01/out-of-ba...

http://community.norton.com/t5/Norton-Protection-Blog/New-Ze...

Can't get my husband to stop using IE.
Hope Norton can help.

Since my wife refuses to let go of her WinXP machine, I at least got her to switch to Firefox.

Google tracks too much information with Chrome. I stick with Firefox.

I agree and have avoided Chrome for the same reason... up until yesterday.

I had become increasingly disgusted with Safari on my iPad bogging down for a minute or two and sometimes refusing to connect about half the time I told it to go to a new webpage.

I websearched the issue and found other victims and lots of suggestions such as close all unnecessary apps, clear the cache and history, reboot the iPad, even back up and restore the iPad, and none of it helped.

The only suggestion that did help was stop using Safari and instead use Google Chrome for iPad. That worked great. Very snappy browser--loads webpages almost every time and much faster than Safari at the best of times.

I may have to set aside my qualms about privacy and just go with Chrome, at least on the iPad. I prefer Firefox for my PC, but Firefox is not available for IOS devices like iPads.

Interesting that a large majority of people posting here avoid IE, but more than half the people browsing the web still use IE. POI Factory obviously has has a very tech-sophisticated user base, LOL.

I used IE for years and never had a problem with security. Up cource I keep up with all the updates. I use Google Chrome now because of the convience.IE went to sleep when Android and I Pads came out. I have a Android tablet,phone and Window 8.1 laptop. When I add a bookmark or contact to any one of them they all update. Not able to do that with IE unless everything you have is Windows. That was well worth the change over to Chrome. Firefox will also do the same thing as far as syning like Chrome.

Microsoft still has one good thing going .It is the One Drive that will sync documents and pictures across PC,Android and IPad.Gives more storage then others also. Besides pictures I like to keep all my manuals there so I can access them no matter what unit I have in hand.

Not really. Chicken little strikes every now and then and there are believers. I find the Safari, CHrome and Firefox browsers all very cumbersome to use compared to the professional feel of IE. I've been in IT for over 35 years and don't fear the web. If you are careful, there's little risk. It's mostly common sense not to click on every URL presented to you.

Microsoft issued a fix yesterday. The sky didn't fall down.

While some means of measurement as reported say that, most don't.

For measurements from several sources consider the Wikipedia entry on this topic:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers

Net Applications seems to be rather lonely in showing IE at a majority--possibly because the national user adjustment they apply gives much stronger weight to Chinese usage than do the other commonly reported measures.

At the personal level, I display weather data on a private web site. My hit counter says that of the September 30 to May 5 traffic only 2.8% was IE, with Safari getting 42%, and other cell phone and mobile device schemes vastly outnumbering IE. For my site hits, Firefox was even lower than IE, while Chrome was somewhat higher than IE.

I've been using Chrome for a while now. It's not a bloated as IE seems to be and I can sync it with my Android phone.

I've heard/read the privacy issues but the way I look at it ... nothing in cyberspace is truly private. Watch you what put out there the best you can and enjoy.

--I use Google Chrome, mostly, and occasionally IE (only when I have to).

Thanks good information - I don't use IE - was using Firefox, then stumbled on Pale Moon (http://www.palemoon.org/) - a 64-bit browser built using Firefox, so looks and feels exactly like Firefox.

I've run into at least one situation where IE was the only browser that could properly access a website. But I've never had to use it. I was free to make the choice to not use it and use other sites. In my case it was a bank that could only be accessed by IE. But another bank was glad to take my money, and even gave me a fresh set of checks.

I suggest blocking IE at the firewall. I've been doing that for years. And that simple safety measure has more than once blocked things that were trying to phone home and transmit data through IE.