Posted in: Desktop software, Web Browsers, Windows

Internet Explorer beefs up its security against plug-ins

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Sure, your web browser might be secure, but the same cannot always be said for web plug-ins.

Well Microsoft has decided to do something about this security flaw, by adding greater protection against vulnerabilities found in browser plug-ins in Internet Explorer.

So how did Microsoft make IE more secure? With IE versions 8-11 on Windows 7 SP1 and all Windows 8 IE versions, Microsoft will block old ActiveX controls with its latest update that arrives on August 12th.

But what if you want ActiveX controls enabled in IE? Well then you’re going to have to disable the warnings when you visit a site that uses an older plugin. Initially, Microsoft will focus its energies on blocking older Java plugins and will move up to more recent software as time progresses.

This might not seem like a big deal to you, especially if you’re using Firefox or Chrome, but this could possibly make for a more secure internet for all users. Because of these measures, botnets and malware will have a more difficult time spreading throughout the web. The update could potentially have a greater impact if Microsoft were to extend it to Windows XP users, which 25% of the world still uses as its OS of choice. XP users will still be susceptible to the attacks that Microsoft plans to better protect against with its upcoming IE update.

Source | Via

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