S
S.M.
What is the truth about the below article?
from: http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?
fSectionId=272&fArticleId=2137918
Web experts urge surfers to stop using vulnerable
Internet Explorer
London: Its curved blue "e" sits on almost every computer
desk top in the world, but the global dominance of
Microsoft's web browser could soon be over following a
stark security warning from a senior panel of web experts
who say it opens the door to online criminals.
They are urging all users of Internet Explorer (IE) to
stop using the browser because they say it is vulnerable
to hackers and credit card fraudsters.
The alert, from the US Computer Emergency Response Team,
comes as a blow to the global giant Microsoft, which has
fought successfully to retain its dominance of the
browser market - 95% of internet surfers use IE.
The team said flaws in the software expose users to
criminals who can spy on their activities, steal their
personal details or send junk e-mail from their computers
without them knowing.
It said internet users should consider dumping the
Microsoft software - which comes as standard installed on
PCs - and switching to another web browser, such as the
free Mozilla or commercial Opera products.
In its warning, under the technical title "Vulnerability
Note 713878", the agency notes that IE has "significant
vulnerabilities in technologies" but adds: "It is
possible to reduce exposure to these vulnerabilities by
using a different web browser."
The advice follows a continuing tide of attacks taking
advantage of holes in IE.
In the past seven days, security experts have discovered
criminals using two different "vulnerabilities" in IE to
exploit Windows PCs.
The first, called "Download.JECT", silently redirected
the browser to a Russian website and made it download
software that monitored keystrokes and would send out
spam.
Last week researchers at the Internet Storm Center
discovered a malicious program that used a flaw in the
software to install itself on the user's PC when a
particular pop-up ad appeared.
It would then monitor the user's typing when they visited
any of 50 bank sites, including Barclays Bank, Citibank
and Deutsche Bank.
Neil Barrett, security consultant of Information Risk
Management, which carries out internet security audits of
companies and software, said: "The number and seriousness
of the vulnerabilities is now getting past a joke.
"Some things that can be done to it are really powerful
from the hacker's point of view. There are presently more
than 30 attacks that it's vulnerable to which haven't
been fixed by Microsoft."
Barrett said he, for one, has seen enough. He said: "The
next machine I'm going to buy will be an Apple laptop
running Netscape. That way I won't have any IE-related
holes, but will be able to run software like Microsoft
Office.
"For my purposes I'm getting out of the line of fire,
because it's just less vulnerable." - The Independent
Published on the web by Cape Times on July 5, 2004.
from: http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?
fSectionId=272&fArticleId=2137918
Web experts urge surfers to stop using vulnerable
Internet Explorer
London: Its curved blue "e" sits on almost every computer
desk top in the world, but the global dominance of
Microsoft's web browser could soon be over following a
stark security warning from a senior panel of web experts
who say it opens the door to online criminals.
They are urging all users of Internet Explorer (IE) to
stop using the browser because they say it is vulnerable
to hackers and credit card fraudsters.
The alert, from the US Computer Emergency Response Team,
comes as a blow to the global giant Microsoft, which has
fought successfully to retain its dominance of the
browser market - 95% of internet surfers use IE.
The team said flaws in the software expose users to
criminals who can spy on their activities, steal their
personal details or send junk e-mail from their computers
without them knowing.
It said internet users should consider dumping the
Microsoft software - which comes as standard installed on
PCs - and switching to another web browser, such as the
free Mozilla or commercial Opera products.
In its warning, under the technical title "Vulnerability
Note 713878", the agency notes that IE has "significant
vulnerabilities in technologies" but adds: "It is
possible to reduce exposure to these vulnerabilities by
using a different web browser."
The advice follows a continuing tide of attacks taking
advantage of holes in IE.
In the past seven days, security experts have discovered
criminals using two different "vulnerabilities" in IE to
exploit Windows PCs.
The first, called "Download.JECT", silently redirected
the browser to a Russian website and made it download
software that monitored keystrokes and would send out
spam.
Last week researchers at the Internet Storm Center
discovered a malicious program that used a flaw in the
software to install itself on the user's PC when a
particular pop-up ad appeared.
It would then monitor the user's typing when they visited
any of 50 bank sites, including Barclays Bank, Citibank
and Deutsche Bank.
Neil Barrett, security consultant of Information Risk
Management, which carries out internet security audits of
companies and software, said: "The number and seriousness
of the vulnerabilities is now getting past a joke.
"Some things that can be done to it are really powerful
from the hacker's point of view. There are presently more
than 30 attacks that it's vulnerable to which haven't
been fixed by Microsoft."
Barrett said he, for one, has seen enough. He said: "The
next machine I'm going to buy will be an Apple laptop
running Netscape. That way I won't have any IE-related
holes, but will be able to run software like Microsoft
Office.
"For my purposes I'm getting out of the line of fire,
because it's just less vulnerable." - The Independent
Published on the web by Cape Times on July 5, 2004.