Why you should stop using Internet Explorer

Microsoft Internet Explorer on your computer, can run programs from remote computers in too many ways to be even considered for daily use by anyone concerned with keeping their computer running smoothly.

How? Let me count the ways…

1) The ability to create, install, copy, delete, move, etc. files on your computer:
Microsoft Internet Explorer is used to do all this on your computer when you use what used to be done by Windows Explorer. This is now in actuality Microsoft Internet Explorer.

And when you read HTTP email in either Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Outlook Express, you are also using Microsoft Internet Explorer to display that email correctly.

If it can do all this on your computer locally, then you would want to have one EXTREMELY GOOD set of rules to ensure that these commands cannot be run from a remote computer affecting files on your local computer. And with all of the security patches that Microsoft has put out for this product alone, I’m not really inclined to think that this is what Microsoft Internet Explorer contains.

If you looked with a logical mind and saw the large number of vulnerabilities and/or security patches for this product alone, there is no way you could say that Microsoft Internet Explorer is a safe Internet web browser with a straight face.

Google search for “internet explorer” vulnerabilities = 308,000 pages
NOTE: The 2nd time I did the search the result was 176,000 and the 3rd time equalled 177,000. Your mileage may vary on this and all following searches…

2) Running programs from remote computers on YOUR computer:
If your organization is governed by laws in the U.S. such as HIPPA (The Health Insurance Privacy and Portability Act) you CANNOT use Microsoft Internet Explorer as it actively uses third-party access to your computer in it’s unmodified form — which is prohibited by the HIPPA law. Even with all of the most recent security patches. And yes, even with hardware or software firewalls.

For an example, take a look at the properties of the links in the Favorites list of Microsoft Internet Explorer labeled: MSN, Radio Station Guide, Windows Media, Free Hotmail, Windows, etc. by simply placing your mouse over them and not moving for a couple of seconds. You will see a popup showing that they all run an executable file based on one of Microsoft’s servers. This is 3rd-party access to your computer. If you are using a hospital, medical, dental, or similar office computer with access to patient data, and click on one of these links, you could very well be breaking the law.

You need to use another browser.

3) ActiveX:
This is a programming language created by Microsoft and integrated into Internet Explorer. This language allows websites and other external computers to run programs on your computer, including installing programs remotely onto your computer, with or without your knowledge.

Google search for “internet explorer” ActiveX vulnerability = 31,100 pages

4) VBScript:
A Microsoft version of an old, simplistic, programming language (Basic) which is extremely simple for even a “script kiddie” to create malicious programs with.

Google search for “internet explorer” VBScript vulnerability = 6,110 pages

5) Spyware:
The Google search and this article at CNN.com say more than enough here, though I will get into it in a later post. Note however, that a small amount of spyware comes into your computer via “javascript” programming, which is also installed on alternative browsers, and can be disabled on most browsers.

Google search for “internet explorer” spyware = 619,000 pages

6) The number and severity of security vulnerabilities is so high that both the U.S. government-funded Computer Emergency Readiness Team and Germany’s BSI (the central IT security service provider for the German government) have recommended “use another browser“.
Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal suggests “dumping Microsoft’s Internet Explorer“. eWeek says that :Internet Explorer Is Too Dangerous to Keep Using“. Even Microsoft’s own electronic magazine “Slate” piped up on the subject.

If you stop using Internet Explorer and switch to another browser, you will instantly remove the above vulnerabilities from your computer. This will not remove anything that had previously come into your computer using these vulnerabilities, but you won’t get more of them if you use another browser.

So the main point is this: if you care one whit for the continued smooth use of your Microsoft Windows computer, stop using Internet Explorer. Now.

Will there be side-effects? Maybe.

There are some websites that were written to utilize these vulnerable programming languages, and will not work without them. If I have to use one of these sites, I will use a computer specially tailored for that purpose (because I have that luxury) but I will also write to that organization to let them know that they are leaving me open to problems by demanding that I have those vulnerabilities enabled on my computer in order to visit their website.

Now, if you remove Microsoft Internet Explorer altogether (which Microsoft made extremely hard to do beginning with Microsoft Windows 2000 SP1), some security and financial programs will quit working altogether.

That should have made your head do a 360-degree twist.

Perhaps it would be better stated as: there are extremely popular PC security and financial programs in use that quite literally depend on these vulnerable program languages entangled in Microsoft Internet Explorer. But that is a subject for another post…

Happy browsing!

Alternate web browser links:

• Mozilla — “Best of 2003“; PCWORLD — complete browser, email and calendar suite
• Firefox — writing about Microsoft Internet Explorer): “… I recommend instead using Mozilla Firefox. It’s not only more secure but also more modern and advanced” — Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal, Sept 16
• Opera — “The Fastest Browser on Earth!”
• K-Meleon — very small, very quick, programmable and with a similar code base as Mozilla