If you, like so many of us, are skating along the web with an out-of-date browser, you are at risk for numerous browser vulnerability-enabled security threats. It’s like a “what not to wear” for your computer. And I have an easy security makeover to take care of this.
All you need is some free time for a quick trip to your browser’s download site, a free download of the latest version with tougher code to defend against today’s malicious code, a reboot and you are back online in no time. Cheaper than a new outfit and faster (and less painful) than plastic surgery, what’s not to like?
The Research:
Whenever you visit Google’s search engine, your browser type and version is noted in their logs. A team of researchers from a Swiss University, Google and IBM reviewed those logs to see what version of browser regular web surfers like you and me are using. While every browser in popular use has a current version that is far more secure than those before, the number of us who are up-to-date is pathetic. The most popular browser is Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. The latest version is 7.0. If you are using 6.0 or earlier, you are extremely at risk to most of the current crop of security threats. And they found that Microsoft IE users were the most out-of-date, with an estimated 53% using the current version. That’s the lowest current version usage for any of the major browsers. And the latest version isn’t all that new, it came out 19 months ago!
The Risk:
Some of the latest malicious code threats take advantage of holey browsers without the user’s knowledge. They infect even reputable web pages and hijack your browser to install keystroke loggers and spyware on your computer without your knowledge. You might not even recognize where and when it happened. You could have been on a major sports team website and get a prompt to install a “plug-in” for your browser. You click “accept” and that’s when the problems start. And what really stinks, even with security software warning people about these installations as potentially risky, people ignore their own software and complete the installation of “who knows what.”
The Fix:
So today’s security makeover requires you to do two things. First, let’s find out what version you are running of your browser. As previously mentioned, for IE you want to be using 7.0. If you are using Firefox, look for version 2.0. Safari? 3 and Opera? 9. How to find out? With your browser software open, find the Help button at the top and click it. Then select “About” to find the version number. In the case of Internet Explorer, you’ll be selecting “About Internet Explorer” and then a small window will open showing the version information.
Second, if you need to update, you’ll next visit the manufacturer’s free download site to do so. The rest of the instructions here are for Microsoft’s IE, used by 78% of the global websurfers in the Google study. Here’s the Microsoft IE download page (but if you want to do this the right way, start at the Microsoft.com home page and do it yourself to be sure.) Download the software and run the installation instructions. You’ll probably want to close all your other programs and save any work. There will be a reboot needed and then when you reopen your browser you can start back into your regular daily fun. All the while knowing your browser is now better protected from an estimated 89% of the latest threats in addition to the protection of your Norton software.