Microsoft IE 8.0 Browser Security best of all browsers?

security thumb Microsoft IE 8.0 Browser Security best of all browsers? Erm.. surely it can’t be true? Where has Firefox and Chrome gone? Could this be just another marketing hype released to coincide the release of Microsoft IE 8.0?

Just like the article announcing how IE8.0 beat Safari and Firefox in the Pwn2Own contest (forgetting to mention the wee lil fact that Google Chrome actually outlasted it.. – article from ITPro)…

NSS Labs recently released a paper that touts putting all the current browsers through over 154,000 individual tests over 12 days and coming up with some "interesting" results. In particular they were testing the browsers’ capability to intercept and stop Malware.

The tested applications included Safari, Chrome, IE8, IE7, Firefox and Opera. The article itself makes for an interesting read especially for the skeptics amongst us.

The actual article can be read (pdf format) by clicking here: Test Report

If you get a chance, please do have a quick squiz at the tests they performed and while they tried to be as unbiased as possible, most people will read it as very much a pro-microsoft article. Even withstanding the fact that IE7 was one of the lowest rated browsers in terms of malware security.

They did mention that Firefox added sites to their block list faster than IE, they went on to add that Firefox identified significantly fewer malware sites.. i just don’t like that word i guess… Also, i’m unsure if they used any add-ons in Firefox…

Still.. have a gander.. make your own mind up. As for me, I’ve got IE8, Chrome and Firefox installed on my machines and funnily enough, find an excuse to use them all at some point or other…

Let me leave you with an excerpt from one of their conclusions… surely the gap cannot be this much?
security2 thumb Microsoft IE 8.0 Browser Security best of all browsers? 
Again, the link to their PDF article is here: Test Report

Posted on Mar 25, 2009 in User Experience, Web Browsers by dee 2 Comments

Internet Explorer 8 is now out..

image2 Internet Explorer 8 is now out.. Microsoft just released a new version of it’s web browser today. Packed with features and add-on’s, its trying hard to retain its user base. A lot of people prefer Firefox as their browser, but the fact remains that with the advent of technology such as Ajax etc, a lot of developers out there are trying to provide a richer user experience and sometimes, providing this level of interactivity results in issues when rendering the pages in any browser other than IE.

It will be interesting to see if this new version is smaller, faster and more secure than the previous versions. I thought I’d upgrade my work machine just to see how easy it is to upgrade and see if there are any major differences in browsing experiences.

I’m assuming at this point that most people out there are now on IE7, so this will be an upgrade.

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Posted on Mar 19, 2009 in Microsoft, Test Drive Apps, Web Browsers by dee 1 Comment