Internet Explorer - Can you live without it?

Internet Explorer is a web browser. It is a piece of software that lets you browse the web like a word processor lets you process documents.

There is no such thing as a “safe” web browser, including Internet Explorer, but you CAN be “safer”.

Because of their fancy abilities, web browsers have fancy problems (mainly iFrame in Internet Explorer and JavaScript in all web browsers) that allow criminals to find more and more ways to use your web browser (such as Internet Explorer) to install software onto your computer that you don’t know about, and that are not good for either your computer or you.

The safest web browser for years has been neither Internet Explorer nor Firefox. Rather, it is Opera.

Here are Secunia’s reports on the number of vulnerabilities for the latest version of each in order of amount. (Click on the name to view the report.)
Opera - Can be downloaded from http://www.opera.com/
Firefox - Can be downloaded from http://www.mozilla.com
Internet Explorer - Can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/ie

HOWEVER - using addons for Firefox WILL make it the safest web browser. Use any combination of the following:
NoScdript - stops JavaScript (THE bad guy) unless YOU allow it.
AdBlock Plus - stops a common way to become infected.
FlashBlock - stops a common way to become infected.

There are few case where websites were intentionally written for Internet Explorer only. This is usually the case with mis-guided financial and insurance company websites.

Choose your web browser wisely!