[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Internet Explorer Use Keeps on Dropping here

[WinTard]

Good! Other browsers will then become the favorite malware target of choice.

[daniel142005]

Other browsers get patched a lot quicker than IE has, at least from what I've seen. Especially Chrome... Also don't forget that Google is launching a TV ad campaign for its browser Chrome, which should also increase its usage some. Then there is Windows 7 that comes with IE8 installed, a lot of non-techies won't hate their browser as much since IE8 is a lot more stable and better built.

[WinTard]

Yeah right, that's why Firefox 3.x has the distinction of being the most vulnerable application of all of 2008. But I appreciate you mention IE8 being more stable. Also I concur pre-IE8 is a mess!

And Firefox is the vector of infiltration of choice, followed by Safari at the Pwn2Own hacking contest March 18th 2009. Both hacking OS X at the root level within the first minutes. Don't forget, this was all done with the fully patched browsers, and OS at the time. Windows 7 beta was hacked along with IE8 beta as well... The only remaining browser unhacked, was Google's Chrome. Way to go!

And a search of the NVD reveals:

|IE8|Zero known vulnerabilities as of yet in 2009 but I fully expect something to show up real soon now! :(|
|IE8 beta, IE7 and prior|85 vulnerabilities|
|Firefox|442 vulnerabilities|
|Chrome|56 vulnerabilities|

Obviously the other browsers patch faster. There are lots more holes to patch!

[coastie65]

If other browsers are being patched quicker than IE8, that tells me that they are more vulnerable and thus getting targeted more. The irony is, I use MSN, and they don't use IE, they use MSN Explorer for a browser.

[techie4fun]

Tells me that Firefox is being used A_LOT to have that many vulnerabilities.

[WinTard]

techie4fun said:

Tells me that Firefox is being used A_LOT to have that many vulnerabilities.

You've just explained why Windows is THAT vulnerable! :D Thank you!

[thewazak]

(Some)retarded folks just don't get it!
To me its principle: if I hadn't had instant enema stuffed down my throat for years by majorshaft, I'd possibly use it - (on a really bad day when I did not care about its proprietary web language). Contrary, eh?
I don't give a rats ass how "few" vulnerabilities IE has or has not: there are folks that prefer to choose their vulnerabilities, rather have then dictated.
Fingers crossed for a EU victory - then watch the numbers fall - and eventually W3C might mean something.

[daniel142005]

Yeah you do make a good point, I was just saying its patched faster... but Firefox hasn't been real popular for very long, so some bugs are still being found... Not to mention its updated a lot more often, so more could be created too... I personally use Google Chrome, I'm currently using the dev build so I get updates every 3-7 days. I'm definitely not a Microsoft fanboy, nor an apple fan, but I will admit, I do really like Windows 7 and I would use IE8 (x64) over firefox... it loads so much faster for me. I'm still addicted to chrome though :(

[smax013]

WinTard said:

Yeah right, that's why Firefox 3.x has the distinction of being the most vulnerable application of all of 2008. But I appreciate you mention IE8 being more stable. Also I concur pre-IE8 is a mess!

And Firefox is the vector of infiltration of choice, followed by Safari at the Pwn2Own hacking contest March 18th 2009. Both hacking OS X at the root level within the first minutes. Don't forget, this was all done with the fully patched browsers, and OS at the time. Windows 7 beta was hacked along with IE8 beta as well... The only remaining browser unhacked, was Google's Chrome. Way to go!

And a search of the NVD reveals:

|IE8|Zero known vulnerabilities as of yet in 2009 but I fully expect something to show up real soon now! :(|
|IE8 beta, IE7 and prior|85 vulnerabilities|
|Firefox|442 vulnerabilities|
|Chrome|56 vulnerabilities|

Obviously the other browsers patch faster. There are lots more holes to patch!

First of all, I am sure that the fact that IE 8 was only officially released about 2 months ago (and note, it was you who seperated out IE 8 beta from IE 8, so no comments about the beta being available for longer) has nothing to do with it the low number of vulnerabilities compare to the others in your table.

Second, I found at least two entries in the database you linked to that listed IE 8 in a vulnerability SINCE IE 8's official release data:

http://web.nvd.nist....?execution=e4s1

http://web.nvd.nist....?execution=e5s1

And I will note that the second one was first reported literally 4 days after IE 8 was officially released. Now, I will admit that it is kind of unclear from the entry whether this one was definitively IE 8 or IE 8 beta...but other entries do specifically mention that it was the beta version...just not sure how consistant they are. It does appear that this blog (http://dvlabs.tippin...0/pwn2own-day-2), which is linked to on the entry page, does confirm that it was IE 8, NOT IE 8 beta, that was hacked at the Pwn2Own contest. It states:

"For those not keeping score, the confirmation of the IE8 vulnerability on the released bits (available just this morning!) marks the first official vulnerability in IE8! Congratulations Nils! We take our collective hats off to you!"

Thus, IE 8 was hacked literally 4 days after it was officially released.

[sander85]

WinTard, and some other braggers :P Here are some facts for you:
IE - closed source
Safari - closed source
Opera - closed source
Firefox - open source
Chrome - open source
NOW.. how hard do you think it is to find bug from Firefox source compared to finding bug from IE that is fully closed source?!?!
It's normal that there are more reports for open source software.. But notice that: those get fixed a lot FASTER, many before anyone can use them against users (if browser is updated ofc). And if you follow changelog then you must be some brilliant cracker to use those holes in opensource.. Some easy bugs you can find in closed source software are simply dead in opensource.. there are TOO many eyes watching for those..
So when you next time are counting some stupid reports and bragging about it then be sure to add notice that there is BIG difference between open and closed source..
I have used Firefox since it was released and have had NO problems with security or maleware.. can't say same about IE..

[yankeeDDL]

IE has been and still is a pachyderm who's barely catching up with other browsers in terms of functionality.
You can make FF more secure of IE anytime with its add-ons.
But the extra functionality you can get with FF is just mind blowing. IE8 has no advantages over FF and as more and more people are exposed to FF, deciding to make the transition is a no-brainer.
IE is destined to go down, and if Windows7 continues the trend of Vista, the whole Windows' platform is going to slowly loose share.

[CentiZen]

It is no surprise that firefox is being exploited faster, its open source! Which is also the reasone that it is patched faster.

The most secure browser is opera, not because it was built secure, but because it is hardly targeted at all.

[yankeeDDL]

What about users that choose FF over the other browsers for its functionalities?

[mpheadley]

I keep going back and forth between Firefox and IE7. Haven't been forced to upgrade to 8 yet so I haven't tried that. For me, they both crash here and there. When there's a problem with one I open up the other for a while and then go back.

With DSL and with the crazy on again off again rain the northeast has been having, I really can't tell any difference in speed.

And I really haven't seen any differences where one can't do something the other can't. Maybe once or twice a download wouldn't work on firefox but would on IE.

[yankeeDDL]

IE7 is 4~6X slower than FF in rendering complex pages. If you load Yahoo, for example.
Never had any download of crash problem on FF since ... poh, I can't remember, and I normally have >10 tabs open: not really a ligth user. If you use WIndows, your problem may be the stability of the OS, not of the browser ...
Firefox has some convenient add-on too. If you have any annoyance when you use the browser, chances are you're not alone and somebody else has already worked out a solution.

Just yesterday I was thinking of how I missed the multi-user mode of Netscape. The browser was crap and ugly, but I could share the same PC with others and have my own environments.
Then I found this small add-on called cookie-swap. It's a simple click, and I can change my cookies vs my wife's. I refresh my online email page and I get her emails (and viceversa). It worked exactly like I wanted it to and avoided us to having to constantly log in/out of online services. Anyway: for me FF is a lot more than web browsing. It also has never let me down in terms of security, like IE did.

[ImaPhake]

Thewazak blurted:

" (Some)retarded folks just don't get it!

To me its principle: if I hadn't had instant enema stuffed down my throat for years by majorshaft, I'd possibly use it - (on a really bad day when I did not care about its proprietary web language). Contrary, eh?"






(edited for personal attack)

Since you admit to not using it, just how do you feel Microsoft has been shoving it down your throat for years? Did Bill Gates hold a gun to your head while Steve Balmer was holding a knife at your throat?

You sound like someone easily annoyed by those things the rest of us just shrug off as a non-issue.

Personally, I choose to use IE but I don't go into a conniption fit whenever I stumble onto one of those Web pages that self-righteously feel they have to tell me my browser isn't Firefox and that I should use it instead of IE.

Those who complain about IE are being "forced" to use it with as much vigor as GM "forcing" anyone to buy one of their autos.

This message was edited for a personal attack that is against Community Standards. Please refer to the Community Standards: http://www.pcworld.c...community.html.
Message was edited by: smax013

[mpheadley]

Wow! My wife and I could also use that for our laptop upstairs as we are both constantly doing the same for hotmail! Where do you find cookie swap, is it just for firefox? What do you have to do when let's say I have my email up and then she wants to get into her hotmail account?

[yankeeDDL]

@mpheadley,

you can find cookieswap here: https://addons.mozil...efox/addon/3255

It works like this: once loaded you have a "Profile" indicated in the bottom bar. Default is profile 1, which is the "normal" user.
If you click on it you can choose "Profile 2" and start browsing. You will start with a clean cookie set so you'll nee dto login the 1st time in Hotmail (FF will remember your password anyway).

If then yougo back to the other profile, just click back on "Profile 1" and hit refresh: the Hotmail page will refresh and show the other account.

It's a beauty.

[TechieXP]

Isn't MSN Explorer built on the API's of IE?