IE6 and Security For…Some?
Last week, I wrote a review of some of the new features in the IE6 update included in the WinXP SP2 RC2. What follows are some thoughts that have occured to me since writing that review. I was thinking about this update. It seems stable. I have no real way (or interest) in testing the true security of the browser. I am sure there are some 30 year old hackers somewhere in their parent’s basement looking for exploits as I type.
Mostly, I was thinking about who this update is available to. That is where this seems to get interesting.
In addition to (reportedly) new security features, the new IE6 release includes a Pop-up blocker and Add-on Manager, which really shows that IE has been paying attention to developments in Firefox and other “alternative” browsers.
The most visible security update I have seen is the Information Bar, which pops up if a site you are visiting tries to install an activeX component without your knowledge, allowing you to accept or decline it.
Correct me if I am wrong, but these new security features will only be available to users of XP. Taking a look at the Google Zeitgeist (the only resource I could find quickly), 51% of Google users are using XP. About 40% of users at the popular search engine are on some other flavor of Windows (2000, ME, 98, NT, and 95).
Now, anyone using ME should have already upgraded to something else because it is pretty much a piece of crap, but there is still a large contingent of Windows 2000 users on the internet. Do these users have any updates coming their way for IE6? It seems as if the only way they will be able to receive a more secure browsing experience is to upgrade, either now to XP or in 2+ years to Longhorn.
Another consideration is AOL. They use IE6 as their browser engine. I have had an AOL dialup account since 1995 and still use it to dialup when I am on the road sometimes. I don’t use the AOL browser, but I know many AOL users do. Do they also receive a more secure version of IE6? (AOL is also a very good reason that IE6 will not loose control of the browser market, but that is for another time and topic.)
Take Firefox/Mozilla and Opera for example. These browsers offer a more secure browsing experience simply on the basis that they are not tied to the OS as much as IE is. Just by switching to them, your risk of being compromised reduces dramatically. If they release updates, you are not forced to upgrade your operating system to take advantage of the new features (security or otherwise) in the latest version of their browser.
